A Beauregard (Beau)

It was a cold, blustery day in early December as I stood gazing out across my backyard without seeing the brown grass, when my phone rang. It was my sweet Christian Jewish friend, Cindy, calling to wish me a Merry Christmas. We giggled and whispered and chatted about everything and nothing when she asked the simple question: "If you could have anything in the world for Christmas, what would it be?" I didn't hesitate because it was something I had been praying about for a long time. I answered, "A tiny." Cindy knew exactly what I meant. She asked me to tell her more. "Well, Cindy, I've had many Yorkies in my life and a good many of them were tinies -not a teacup, not a miniature, not a toy. Just a tiny. But all of them have passed and I miss them so. Today I have three Yorkies. Perfect dogs - smart, sweet, loving - you couldn't want better dogs. But they are all a bit larger than usual which just means having more to love. But my heart yearns for one last tiny. It was always my fervent evening prayer: "Please, just one more tiny, before I'm too old. It would have to be an adult, an older dog, because I am no longer young and I don't want it to outlive me. But only if this is a good thing for the dog too. I would love to rescue one. You commanded us to come before the throne boldly and make our request known. Please consider my heart's desire." I prayed that prayer for months and left it up to God to decide if he should answer me. There was nothing more I could do. I was not unhappy. I had my wonderful boys and pretty girl. Their antics kept me satisfied and content. Until one day... I got the call. NO! God does not use a cellphone. His voice was not what you would expect either. It was Kathy, president of our rescue calling, asking for help. She had a very small dog, found as a stray in terrible condition. He was so matted, dirty, he needed help. He also needed to see a vet and soon. Could I help her find one? Immediately I went into rescue-mode and started calling my vet and several others. All were booked and could not see him any time soon. What to do? I called her back and told her I would keep trying vets when she mentioned one, not too far from me, that other rescuers had used. I called them and yes, they could see the dog now - I made the appointment and soon a transport was set up - the dog was on his way to meet me at the vet. It was exciting but worrying. Could I handle a dog who needed so much medical care? I had to try. "What are you calling him?" I asked. Kathy replied, "I love the name Beau. We were going to call him Beau Jangles but we already have used that name. "Ok", I replied, 'then he must be Beauregard." Kathy giggled and agreed. Beau got to a vet. He started at 3.3 pounds but now goes almost 4. He has gained weight and is blossoming into a confident mature Yorkie. The vets guessed him to be between 6 and 8 years old so we gave him the birthdate of May 1, 2019. Just three days before he came to me. Beau loves to eat but it takes time for him to devour his meals. He is messy because he has so few teeth that the food often falls out of his mouth and he must start over. Don't think for a minute that he is all soft and sweet. As my husband and dogs will attest, he can be snappish. While he's fine with grooming, albeit when I get near his mouth his personality switches to Monster Mode. But he never frightens me. I understand him. I know his life hasn't been easy, his body is permanently damaged, his legs don't always work the way he wants them to. But he's small, he's tiny, he's mine. Many people have inquired about Beau- asking about his health and progress. It has been a long slow process with him because he has had several health issues and needed special care to recuperate. At one point we almost panicked because he could neither stand nor walk. More vets, more special care. Improvement was slow and scary. He would try to stand but wobbled like a newborn colt. When he collapsed, as he did so often, our hearts sank. Beau never gave up and he stood right back up again. He seemed to be baffled by the pain and the way his legs moved differently than they had all of his life. Daily we work on his physical therapy and his improvements are very small but progressing as the vet advised. Beau shows us different aspects of his personality - sometimes so happy his tail literally vibrates with joy, other times, not at all happy, ears pinned back and teeth showing his annoyance. But we are learning to live together, with patience and forgiveness. I am willing to give him everything I have because he is my gift from God. The answer to my prayers. God hears and answers prayers. Believe.