Beau

There are dogs who feel a range of emotions, and then there's Beau, who has selected one emotion -- joy -- and decided to pursue it with the kind of focus usually reserved for Olympic athletes.<br/>Beau is about 6 years old, 50 pounds, healthy, and powered almost entirely by delight. He came to us from an overcrowded shelter and is now discovering soft toys, sunny spots, and a slower pace of life. He's extremely supportive of this development.<br/>You might think, "Okay, sure, joy. That's nice. But does he have... range?"<br/>He has range.<br/>Beau does not just experience joy, he explores it. He's a joy scholar. If joy were a university, Beau would have tenure, several honorary degrees, and a suspicious number of squeaky toys in his office.<br/>There's the bold, full-contact joy -- the kind where he launches himself into the air because a toy has entered his orbit. <br/>Then there's snack-based joy, which arrives the moment food appears. This joy is deeply philosophical. It asks important questions like, "Is this for me?" followed immediately by, "Yes, it is for me," followed by enthusiastic munching.<br/>There's relief-turned-celebration joy -- the quiet, almost disbelieving happiness when Beau realizes that the hand reaching toward him is kind. You can see the exact moment it clicks. His whole body softens, then brightens, like someone turned the lights on inside him.<br/>There's social joy -- unleashed when he sees another dog. Suddenly he is the mayor of a small, extremely friendly town where everyone is invited and no one is allowed to be grumpy.<br/>There's sunbeam joy, which is less about movement and more about mastery. Beau locates a patch of sunlight with the precision of a NASA instrument and settles into it like a professional. This is advanced-level joy. This is "I have optimized my life."<br/>Over the past 88 days, Beau has shown us that joy isn't small or simple -- it's layered and resilient, and it shows up in leaps and in stillness.<br/>Beau's not lacking joy, he has that covered. What he needs is a home -- a place where all of this joy has somewhere permanent to land.<br/>Animal Aid Society is located at 80 Butler Farm Road in Hampton, VA. Visiting hours are 9am to noon, every day, including weekends and holidays.<br/>Interested? Come for a visit any day of the week - 365 days a year between 9am - 12pm. Hope to see you soon!<br/><br/>PLEASE NOTE: Animal Aid Society observes a 40 mile adoption radius to facilitate post adoption support and follow ups.

There are dogs who feel a range of emotions, and then there's Beau, who has selected one emotion -- joy -- and decided to pursue it with the kind of focus usually reserved for Olympic athletes.
Beau is about 6 years old, 50 pounds, healthy, and powered almost entirely by delight. He came to us from an overcrowded shelter and is now discovering soft toys, sunny spots, and a slower pace of life. He's extremely supportive of this development.
You might think, "Okay, sure, joy. That's nice. But does he have... range?"
He has range.
Beau does not just experience joy, he explores it. He's a joy scholar. If joy were a university, Beau would have tenure, several honorary degrees, and a suspicious number of squeaky toys in his office.
There's the bold, full-contact joy -- the kind where he launches himself into the air because a toy has entered his orbit.
Then there's snack-based joy, which arrives the moment food appears. This joy is deeply philosophical. It asks important questions like, "Is this for me?" f

There are dogs who feel a range of emotions, and then there's Beau, who has selected one emotion -- joy -- and decided to pursue it with the kind of focus usually reserved for Olympic athletes.
Beau is about 6 years old, 50 pounds, healthy, and powered almost entirely by delight. He came to us from an overcrowded shelter and is now discovering soft toys, sunny spots, and a slower pace of life. He's extremely supportive of this development.
You might think, "Okay, sure, joy. That's nice. But does he have... range?"
He has range.
Beau does not just experience joy, he explores it. He's a joy scholar. If joy were a university, Beau would have tenure, several honorary degrees, and a suspicious number of squeaky toys in his office.
There's the bold, full-contact joy -- the kind where he launches himself into the air because a toy has entered his orbit.
Then there's snack-based joy, which arrives the moment food appears. This joy is deeply philosophical. It asks important questions like, "Is this for me?" followed immediately by, "Yes, it is for me," followed by enthusiastic munching.
There's relief-turned-celebration joy -- the quiet, almost disbelieving happiness when Beau realizes that the hand reaching toward him is kind. You can see the exact moment it clicks. His whole body softens, then brightens, like someone turned the lights on inside him.
There's social joy -- unleashed when he se