Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.4

58 / 154

| |
Beau Evans –
Argos the Australian Cattle Dog
Argos has been my best friend for almost a third of
my life. During that time, we have had some amazing
adventures, and he has made me a better person. We have
canoed down the Green River in Utah for 80+ miles and
backpacked in the Southeast for many more. He has been
in the shotgun seat for more than 10,000 miles as I com-
muted back and forth to Florence for work. On the week-
ends, we lived on a sailboat and he learned how to jump
in the forward hatch and climb up the stairs to get out. He
is constantly on patrol for the sound of splashing water,
whether it be breaking on the bow or driving through
a puddle. Argos retrieves the ball with the best of them,
either on Sullivan’s or diving off a dock. He has presided
over the girls I dated and helped me propose to my wife by
carrying the ring on his collar. When my twins were born,
he welcomed them into my home and protected them
while we ran around trying to keep the house together.
He is an old dog now and is suffering from lymphoma.
Despite that, he continues to show me how I should live.
No regrets for what was undone yesterday and no anxiety
of what is to come tomorrow. We tried chemo but the
treatment was worse than the disease. So for these next few
days, he will maintain his position as the best friend I’ve
ever had and then will leave this world on his own terms
while feeling good. He is a unique soul that I pray to meet
again in heaven.
Hunter Shaw –
Reesie the Chocolate Lab
Reesie is unique for many reasons. I watched her be
born on my birthday, and she was given to me by my
close friend who died a few months later in a car crash.
She brings so much love to our family. She wants to do
everything that we are doing, right down to eating at the
table (which we let her do occasionally). My mom loves
pretending to put makeup on her when she’s putting hers
on or helping carve a pumpkin. She loves modeling for
pictures, the beach, swimming, tricks, road trips, cuddling
and tug of war. She waits for us to say blessing before she
eats her food. I actually believe she thinks she is human.
But most importantly, she helps put a smile on my mom’s
face. My mom has an incurable nerve illness called tri-
geminal neuralgia, which, according to the medical field, is
the most painful condition known to man, so to us Reesie
is unique and a special blessing.
58
Editor’s Note:
For this year’s pet issue, we asked our loyal Mount Pleasant Magazine readers to
submit stories about their favorite four-legged best friends. From comedic chickens
to heroic pups, all of you shared heartwarming stories of loyalty, bravery and genuine
love, and we saw some of the best pets in the Lowcountry.
Ready to find your lifelong best friend? Consider adopting an animal this summer.
The stories below make evident the amount of love they can bring into your life.