“Beau!” I shouted, shocked. He’d never behaved like that with anyone.
We thought maybe he was confused by the new person, so we tried to give him space. But each day, his behavior worsened. He barked at her constantly, blocked her path to the nursery, and even showed his teeth once.
- “He won’t let me pick up the baby.”
- “Can you please put him in another room next time?”
Rose and I felt torn. Beau had always been part of the family, but now we had a newborn to think about. What if something went wrong?
The unthinkable began to creep in — maybe we needed to let him go.
The Night Everything Changed
That Friday, desperate for a break, Rose and I decided to have dinner out. Just a short meal to feel normal again.
Claire agreed to stay with Zoey for a few hours. She asked that Beau be kept in the laundry room, behind a baby gate. We agreed.
Halfway through dinner, my phone buzzed. Claire’s name lit up the screen.
“Derek!” she shouted through the line, her voice frantic. “Beau went crazy! He tried to attack me when I picked up Zoey!”
Zoey’s cries echoed in the background. Rose was already out of her seat, grabbing her coat.
We sped home in silence, hearts pounding.
“He lunged at me,” Claire said, shaking. “I can’t work in a house with that dog.”Continue reading…
