Beau, a black, male, standard Poodle, came to live with my husband and me on March 28, 1999 in our home on Charlton St. He was a little over three years old when we got him. He had been living on the Isle of Hope in pretty much a country setting, sleeping outdoors in good weather and sharing the days with his mother, Belle, and an active family.

We were not really looking for another dog. We had two miniature, silver Poodles, Basket and Tumbleston, sister and brother. We lost Tumbleston in July 1997 and Basket in August 1998. She would have been 17 the next month. Our hearts weren’t really into starting over with another dog. We had nursed Basket way longer than we should have, hand-feeding her spaghetti (the only food she would eat) and carrying her out to Troup Square where she would totter along for a few minutes and then carry her back home. When we finally had her put to sleep, we were drained emotionally.

Out of the blue, a friend called in December 1998. She knew Beau needed a new home (Belle thought it was time he “spread his wings”!), so we drove out to see him and committed to him the next day. It was a big change for Beau, moving downtown, walking on a leash, seeing lots of other people and, of course, other dogs—and cats. He was pretty timid to begin with, but as he got used to his new surroundings, he became more assertive. Fortunately, my husband works at home so someone was usually with Beau all the time. He didn’t like it when no one was there and would howl pitifully (we actually taped him!) until we returned. That stopped after a few weeks.

Initially, Beau was more attached to my husband because they spent so much time together, but he grew fonder of me as I laced his dry food with bits of baked chicken and other treats, bought him three Orvis beds (one for the Jeep, one for downstairs, and one for the bedroom) and, finally, said it was OK to come up on our bed and sleep. My husband drew the line at getting up on the couch.

Beau is a strong walker and very curious. He loves to sniff along the edge of the sidewalk and under bushes (his nickname is “Mr. Sniffy”). For awhile, my husband would take him to Colonial Cemetery to let him run, but other dog owners were not cleaning up and the City made it known that dogs would have to be on leashes. So, he has to be content with four walks a day and an occasional run on the beach at Tybee.

While he barks strenuously at other dogs, he’s fine with them once they get acquainted. He’s very affectionate, and easily meets other people and children. He travels with us just about everywhere we drive, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We hated to leave Basket and Tumbleston behind, and Beau is no different. He’s family.

Reprinted with permission of Frederic C. Beil, Publisher. Savannah Dogs  can be purchased on-line at beil.com and  amazon.com.