Jamie Hulit, a dog mama [1] from Austin, TX, knew it was fate that her plans to adopt a lab from a breeder fell through as soon as she laid eyes on a photo of Beaux Tox — or Beaux for short — a yellow lab with a facial deformity. After learning about the terrible conditions Beaux was living in, she knew she needed to rescue him as soon as possible [2].
"He was born to a breeder," she told POPSUGAR. "Because he was born with a deformity, the breeder assumed that nobody would buy him and gave him away to a guy for free. Apparently, the man who adopted him couldn't really take in a dog, so Beaux lived in the backyard until he was 5 years old. He had never gone inside. He had not been fixed or received any flea treatment. He had ear mites that unfortunately made him deaf in one ear."
Jamie described the exact moment she knew her and Beaux were meant to be — and never looked back.
I've always had a lab in my life. I had a 16-year-old lab that passed away fairly recently. I waited for a year to start looking for another lab from a breeder, and I found one and put a deposit down. It turns out the dog didn't end up getting pregnant, so I was really torn between waiting for her next cycle and asking for a refund. That was right around the time I saw Beaux. In that moment, I realized I was never going to pay for another dog, and I'm only going to rescue. I wouldn't have gotten Beaux if that dog had gotten pregnant. It was a sign.
"I went and picked up Beaux, whose name was actually Lucky at the time, and renamed him Beaux Tox," she said. "I always give my pets new names, but after adopting this dog, I had to ask myself, 'What has he been so lucky about this dog in the past?'"
"I always give my pets new names but after adopting this dog I had to ask myself 'What has he been so lucky about this dog in the past?'"
Unfortunately, getting Beaux home was only half the battle for Jamie. Her new pup had a long list of medical ailments that needed to be treated immediately. For starters, he was so emaciated that he only weighed 42 pounds when Jamie finally rescued him. He was also completely infested with fleas and tested positive for heartworms.
All in all, Beaux's medical bills set Jamie back about $8,000 in total, but she admits she didn't mind "living on macaroni and cheese" for a while.
"My vet told me he had a 50/50 chance of living initially. I told him I didn't care. He lived in a backyard for his entire life. As long as he could live in a house for a short amount of time and experience love, I didn't care how much it cost. He was worth it."
Although Beaux definitely went through his fair share of hardships, he's certainly thriving with his new owner now. "He is the happiest dog you could ever imagine. He's a miracle. He can cheer anyone up who's in a grumpy mood. I just look at him and laugh."