Meet Beau

12-23-2018 – Hey there, I’m Beau! I’m a sweet guy who has lost my ability to see. My awesome foster dad will be caring for me for the rest of my life.  I have become very comfortable with my home and doggie siblings.  They look out for me, now that I can’t see any longer. I really freak out when I’m away from them.  I can’t hear either, so it’s hard for me to understand why all of a sudden, I can’s see anymore. 

I hope you can find it in your heart to sponsor me so that I can stay where I am and be safe and comfortable for the rest of my life.  

11-17-2020 – Hi all, I thought you might like an update on our permanent foster, Beau.

Overall, Beau is doing fantastic. He has adapted to the loss of his sight well. We have scent marked the doors and put a special rug on the deck to lead him to the stairs, but otherwise, he gets around pretty well with minimal intervention. He has trouble if we move anything around, but my kids are pretty good about putting the big stuff away like stools and such.

Truly, he has become so adept at navigating his world that it is hard to tell he has lost his sight in addition to being deaf. (Well, until he runs into something, but he and I have that in common, I suppose…) it is really only when we get into the community that we see signs of his impairments. He high steps more, is notably using his nose to smell more and trips more. But really he has developed a deeper sense of trust in us and definitely my boys, so he knows we won’t leave him or take him into danger.

We try to take him into the community when we can but he gets excited by the smells of all the people and things, so we are still easing him into these trips. He is sort of famous at Lowes in town though.

He is IN LOVE with my sons. They play tag with him in the yard. It is pretty hilarious to watch 2 teen boys rough house with a blind/deaf dog. It really is more like hide and seek, viking style. His nose is really great at helping him find the boys in the yard. It is really hard to tell that he is blind when you watch them play, but on a windy day when he can’t pinpoint their scent, it is really clear. They get rowdy and he loves it. Mostly, he follows my boys everywhere. They are quite a trio. I’ll have to grab some video to post for you to see.

He is a happy, goofy clown. We call him the overgrown cat because he rubs on us like a cat. I tell the kids that he is tactile because he can’t hear or see them. They complain about his hair on their close, but they truly do love it.

We love the goofy dude.

8-22-2022 – Beau continues to do very well. We really only see his challenges when we take him out of the house. In unfamiliar territory, he trips and runs into things more often. He also gets confused about where he is and is visibly anxious if he can’t find one of us readily. Generally though, he follows the other dogs pretty closely in open areas, like camp areas and the like. At home he finds doors well and follows the textured rugs to get off the deck safely. We have doors scent marked and he follows the contour of the yard well to come in from outside.

Beau continues to be very close to my middle son, who is 16. They are very rarely away from one another. Their bond has become so close that Beau followed my son on a hike up to a waterfall. The hike was a little tough at times, but the absolute trust Beau has in my son was amazing. He just put his nose on my son’s leg and followed directly behind him. There were only a couple of tough spots that caused him some trouble and both involved crossing a creek. He struggled with the foot bridge and fell in the water a couple of times, but the day was hot, so I think it cooled him down.

Beau has done wonderful with touch training. He knows sit, down, heel, stay and release from a stay. We use a vibrating collar to queue him to find us; sort of our modification to ‘come.’ He is still getting the hang of that one, but he keeps making progress.

4-18-2023 – Overall, he has adapted very well to life. I should probably credit my son for working so much with him. My son monitors his skin for allergic reactions and puts the antihistamine foam on as soon as he sees redness. He also keeps up with Beau’s treats and food to make sure he doesn’t get into something he shouldn’t have.

Beau really is a picture of resilience and trust in his people.