Mr. Beau Teaches Pet Parents to Embrace Every Moment

When Julia and her husband adopted a dog named Beauford, they opened their lives to more love, compassion, and joy than they ever imagined.

Julia + Beauford

During life’s challenges or most celebrated moments, a dog named Beauford is by Julia’s side with empathy and cuddles. Day by day, he shows his family his appreciation for the little things in life, and his joy in being part of their pack. 

"Beauford makes the little things in life feel like memories that we'll have forever. Going for nightly walks in the neighborhood, cuddling on the sofa while watching TV, and enjoying the occasional fast food in the car while going on a trip down the shore, all are better because he is there. "

Describing how our dog Beauford has brightened my husband’s and my life seems to be a strange combination of “there are no words to describe” and “I could write a novel” about how special he is. We adopted him during the summer of 2020 when we just wanted a dog to complete our family. What we got instead was Mr. Beau, who we love more than we could ever imagine.

I believe that Beauford has more emotional knowledge than most humans do. My husband and I got married in May of this year, and two months before we got married my dad got diagnosed with cancer. This was extremely devastating for me and each day seemed like a struggle to try and stay positive. I know that Beauford knew something was wrong. Every day he would wait at the bottom of the stairs by our front door until I got home. When I would visit my dad in the hospital and wouldn’t return home until 2 o’clock in the morning, he was there. He would greet me and then sleep by my head every night. In the mornings he seemed to be extra playful and lovable, by insisting on licking my face to wake me up and wanting at least 15 minutes of play/cuddle time before we started our day. He was right by my side on the sleepless nights and happily walked with me at 5 o’clock in the morning if I couldn’t seem to fall back asleep. 

Beauford got me through what I can say was the most difficult time in my life. On the day of our wedding, everyone was there celebrating with us, including Beau. Beauford makes the little things in life feel like memories that we’ll have forever. Going for nightly walks in the neighborhood, cuddling on the sofa while watching TV, and enjoying the occasional fast food in the car while going on a trip down the shore, all are better because he is there. 

My husband and I swear that on warm summer nights when we walk, Mr. Beau always smiles. He sniffs the air like it is something familiar and comforting and looks back at us with a smile on his face. It really feels like he is just happy to be with us in every moment. 

When we picked Beau out at the shelter, he seemed less than confident in us. He cautiously sniffed us while doing laps around the bench where we were sitting. It took him some time to warm up and truly trust us. Now he knows who his people are, and cuddles with us every morning and night. When we adopted Mr. Beau, we expected to get a dog that we would love. We never anticipated that we would adopt the most important member of our family.

Each year, Petco Love Stories invites adopters to share how their pets have changed their lives to give the organizations that they’ve adopted from the chance to receive grant awards. This story by Julia won Animal Adoption Center in Lindenwold, New Jersey a 2021 Love Stories award.