July 2004: Beau was released by an owner to Louisiana Westie Rescue on April 17th, 2004. We soon had no doubt he had been neglected and abused both mentally and physically....

When Gayle Moore, his awesome foster Mom, brought him to the vet to be checked out it was found he had whip worms, hook worms and heartworms. He was emaciated, both ears were infected and he had a terrible urinary tract infection. Needless to say physically he was in sad shape...

Mentally Beau was simply terrified. When being examined by the vet he lost control of his bowels... He cowered in a corner when Gayle cleaned up his accidents though she did not scold him. But the saddest thing was the way he would circle endlessly. Our feeling is that Beau has spent so much time isolated in a crate that he literally closed down emotionally. Beau's time in a crate was not yet over though.

Beau's heartworm treatment began, calling for 6 weeks of strict confinement. Beau and Gayle's journey was a difficult one.. We nearly lost him twice... Beau spent several days in ICU and many more being boarded at the vet for observation. At one point the vet was so desperate to get him to eat something he sent one of the techs to buy a hamburger patty at Wendy's. When Gayle was told this she prepared a hamburger and rice mix and brought it to the vet in hopes he would eat it. He did! Slowly over time Beau improved physically.

Mentally there was not significant change... He still spent his time circling and digging at his bedding. Even outside on a leash he would move in tight circles, it was heart breaking to see. When the treatment was finished and the vet felt it was safe for Beau to travel Gayle and I met so I could bring him home with me to foster until he was adopted.

Gayle was shocked to see Beau stuck right beside her when we met! Even though he had not shown it, obviously he had made a connection with a her. A huge step in the right direction!

Once home with me I was able to see first hand what Gayle had been describing. Even though Beau then had run of the house and yard he still moved in small circles and he would do it for hours. But over the next few days the circles became bigger it became less frequent and finally he began to enjoy sitting with me. The day he ran in a straight line across the yard to bark with the other Westies was an awesome sight! He improved by leaps and bounds after that.

After a few weeks in my home, I felt Beau was ready for a family of his own. I contacted Pat and Susan who have 2 adopted Westies, Maggie, a puppy-mill rescue adopted from LA Westie Rescue and McDuff adopted from Trinity Valley Westie Rescue. They have kept in close contact since they adopted Maggie and felt she needed a companion closer to her age. Maggie is a typical Westie full of energy and loves to play!!!! Her brother McDuff a loveable senior guy, has many health problems and is not able.

But Pat and Susan said Maggie is picky about her play buddies... she would either like Beau or ignore him, if she ignores him well the little lady has made up her mind and would not change it. They drove six hours so these 3 could meet.... It did not take long before Maggie and Beau were racing around the house like Westies should! It was a joy to see!!!

Beau is now home with his family learning all kinds of things, good stuff for sure but probably a little bad from Maggie. When I talked to Pat last night she said Beau was at the window with Maggie barking at the neighbors walking their dogs. Beau did not bark before other then an occasional yelp when he circled. No doubt Beau has found his home and has made another huge step towards becoming the happy little guy he was always meant to be!

Beau touched both Gayle's and my heart deeply and we are thrilled to see him make this final adjustment with such a brave heart!

Westie Med is an awesome organization and without their support I have no doubt many small rescue groups like mine would not be able to continue to help little guys like Beau. If you are reading Beau's story and have donated to Westie Med I thank you! If you are considering donating, please do as there are so many out there in need....

Laura Ardoin
Louisiana Westie Rescue


Updated July 13, 2008:

We adopted Beau (now Duncan) in 2005, and we just want to let you know that Duncan (Beau) is the sweetest little boy!  He loves his big sister, Maggie, and his Mama Pat who he follows everywhere! He often let us know that he thinks living with us is the best by rolling over so we can rub his belly.

He is not the most athletic guy, so he has trouble keeping up with Maggie--but he sure tries! We like to go hiking and biking with Maggie & Duncan, so we have a backpack for when he gets too tired and a trailer for the bike they both ride in.  Duncan likes to bark at and chase waves on the shores of lakes.

He doesn't do the circling much any more--when he's hungry or stressed about something.  That does not mean he likes to walk! He much prefers to go for "carries".

We love Duncan so much and are so happy he chose us. Maggie thinks he is special, too.  She is very protective of him, although sometimes when he is annoying her she wants us to send him back!

Thank you for what you do!