Last updated on September 18, 2024
At 4:45 Wednesday morning, I opened my eyes and listened for the sound of tiny claws clicking on the wooden floor. Much to my disappointment, they never came. For the last thirteen years, I started my day with the sound of tiny paws on the floor followed by a wet nose sniffing at me from the side of the bed. My beagle Beatrice began each day with a gentile wake-up nudge and an excited tail wag. Her reward was a kiss on the head before an early walk. I can’t believe that she will never do that again.
I have never encountered a sweeter creature in my life. Bea enjoyed meeting people and seemed to love everyone. She never held a grudge or disliked anyone in her life.
All of our dogs are projects. My wife finds them on lists and message boards and falls in love, problems and all. She knows that I can’t say no (to dogs or cars) so we then try our best to resolve whatever issues they have. The secret is that the problem is usually with the people and not the dog. True to form, Beatrice was a problem dog that my wife found in Berryville, Virginia. She had a habit of escaping her yard and causing trouble. She also was quite sickly. While we figured out most of her health issues early on, she never had a robust constitution. She suffered from stomach and bladder issues but they never affected her disposition which was always loving. As for the wandering off problem, once she properly bonded, she stopped running off and looked for us when she got out.
As with most beagles, she was a walking stomach. She was constantly looking for a meal and especially loved the pears from our tree each fall. Most of her health issues were food allergy related so we had to restrict her meals and snacks. Despite this, she always appreciated and enjoyed her meals. Her joy over the simplest thing is hard to imagine.
It was a pleasure to care for you, Bea, and give you the best life that we could. I miss you girl. I love you the best, don’t tell the others.
