Beaux Tox has a distinctive appearance. His bouncing tail and happy-go-lucky demeanor appear to be at contrast with his permanently pensive, severely furrowed brow.
Some people may be turned off by Beaux’s unusual appearance, but a single snapshot was all it took for Jamie Hulit to decide that the yellow Lab’s life was worth preserving.
Hulit told The Dodo, “A friend of mine posted a photo of Beaux on Facebook stating he needed a foster or to be adopted — anything.” “I wrote him a message that day, saying, ‘I’d love to take that dog in and give him a home.’”
Beaux has been a standout since he was conceived. Due to his six siblings and sisters crowding his mother’s womb, he got a depressed skull and close-set eyes, according to Hulit.
“He was merely shoved out of the way,” Hulit explained, “but it has nothing to do with his IQ.” According to her, an MRI verified that his head malformation had no effect on his personality or his prospects of living a long and healthy life.
Regardless, Beaux’s early years were terrible. “The folks who were breeding him couldn’t sell him because of his face abnormality,” Hulit explained. “As a result, he was given away for free.” According to Hulit, a guy in Austin, Texas, took in the strange little puppy, but when Beaux Tox, then named Lucky, didn’t get along with the man’s cats, he was banished to the backyard.
According to Hulit, the lovely dog was left outside for five years, terribly neglected by his owner and alone — without even a dog bed to keep him company.
Local rescue groups tried to help Beaux find a better home, but after spending his whole life in a small yard with little training or direction, Beaux was repeatedly returned to the man’s backyard.
Hulit had no idea what to anticipate when she went to see Beaux at his house.
When she entered the backyard, she discovered a dog that was little more than a shell: the Lab’s rib cage protruded from behind his blonde fur, which virtually hung off his emaciated frame. Beaux’s health difficulties, which included fleas and ear mites, didn’t deter Hulit, who realized she’d be his only opportunity for a genuine home.
“At that moment, I didn’t care how sick he was,” Hulit explained. “I just didn’t want him to be sent to the foster care system.”
Hulit, who spent two years in foster care before being adopted at the age of nine, understood what it was like to be transferred from family to family.
Hulit said, “I wanted him to have stability and a location he recognized was his home.” “That is why I took him from his owner and adopted him outright.” Beaux Tox had already been bouncing about, and all I wanted him to do was be a dog.”
Hulit’s odds of survival at the Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic in Kerrville, Texas, were considerably lower than she had anticipated. Beaux tested positive for heartworms, a condition that causes lasting organ damage over time, but he was too frail to start treatment.
Beaux had just a 50-50 chance of survival, according to Dr. Jay Rydberg, but Hulit had already made a secret promise to spare the dog’s life.
“I told the vet I didn’t give a damn,” she explained.
Beaux’s health was in and out of an oxygen tank during the first month of his rehabilitation. When things appeared dismal, Dr. Rydberg stayed with him around the clock, even summoning Hulit into the office at 3 a.m. to say goodbye.
Beaux, like his new mother, refused to give up.
He gradually gained weight as the weeks passed, and he was eventually strong enough to undergo heartworm treatment. Beaux was eventually granted a clean sheet of health, despite the fact that he had lost hearing in his left ear owing to ear mite damage and still has problems seeing out of his right eye.
“Some people will spend a lot of money for a dog’s papers, but I feel like I only paid for his health certificate,” Hulit remarked. “However, knowing that he is now a happy, free man, I am completely fine with it.”
