Beaux Tox has one of those faces you never forget — a thoughtful, wrinkled brow paired with the happiest, most hopeful tail wag you’ll ever see.
Some people might look twice at his unusual features. But for Jamie Hulit, one look was all it took.
A single photo of the yellow Lab popped up on her Facebook feed, shared by a friend who said he desperately needed a foster or adopter. To Hulit, it wasn’t even a question.
“I sent him a message right away and said, ‘I would love to take that dog in and give him a home,’” she told The Dodo.
Beaux had stood out since before he was born. With six siblings crowding him in the womb, his head developed differently — leaving him with a sunken forehead and closely set eyes.
But as Hulit points out, none of it affects his intelligence or ability to live a full, healthy life. An MRI later confirmed that everything inside worked just fine.
Unfortunately, his early life was far from gentle.
“Because of his facial deformity, the breeders couldn’t sell him,” Hulit said. “So they gave him away for free.”
A man in Austin, Texas, took him in, but when Beaux — then named Lucky — didn’t get along with the household cats, he was banished to the backyard. And there he stayed.
Five long years.
No training. No company. No soft bed.
Just a neglected young dog alone in the dirt.
Rescue groups tried repeatedly to help him, but each time Beaux was returned to the backyard, having never learned how to be anything but lonely.
When Hulit arrived to meet him, she braced herself — but nothing prepared her for what she saw.
The dog standing before her was heartbreakingly thin, his ribs sharp beneath his fur. Fleas and ear mites covered his frail body, his coat hung loose on his frame, and yet… he wagged his tail. He still wanted love.
His condition didn’t scare her. If anything, it only strengthened her resolve.
“At that point, I didn’t care how sick he might be,” Hulit said. “I just didn’t want him to be bounced around again.”
Having spent two years in foster care herself before being adopted at age 9, she understood too well what instability felt like.
“I wanted him to have one place he knew was home,” she added. “That’s why I adopted him outright. He deserved to just be a dog.”
But Beaux was far sicker than she realized.
At Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic, he tested positive for heartworms and was too weak to begin treatment.
His survival odds were a coin toss.
“I told the vet I didn’t care,” Hulit said. “We were going to save him.”
The first month was terrifying. Beaux went in and out of an oxygen tank, and Dr. Jay Rydberg monitored him at all hours — even calling Hulit at 3 a.m. when it looked like Beaux might not make it.
But just like his new mom, Beaux refused to quit.
Slowly, day by day, he gained weight. He grew stronger. Months later, he was finally healthy enough to undergo heartworm treatment. Though he lost hearing in one ear and has reduced vision in one eye, he was eventually declared healthy.
“There are people who pay high dollar for a dog’s papers,” Hulit joked. “I feel like I paid for his health certificate — and I’m 100 percent OK with that.”
Beaux’s transformation since coming home is nothing short of remarkable.
Once an outdoor dog, he now refuses to go outside unless his mom goes too.
He’s bonded instantly with Riley, Hulit’s 13-year-old golden retriever mix, who has patiently shown him what it means to be an indoor dog.
“Riley and Beaux absolutely love each other,” Hulit said. “They’re perfect for each other. Beaux acts like a puppy, and it keeps Riley young.”
One year after leaving the backyard for good, Beaux has blossomed into a joyful, energetic, ridiculously loving dog. He’s even become a foster brother to dogs and kittens through the rescue groups Hulit works with — and he recently welcomed a new rescue sister, Scout.
Beaux is making up for lost time, living every moment with enthusiasm.
“He’s so full of life,” Hulit said. “And he’s brought so much to us.”
To follow Beaux Tox and his rescue adventures, check out his Instagram.
