Beefy came to Loving Hands Animal Clinic from the Cherokee Humane Shelter in 1997 with a broken leg. I gave him the name Beefy because he had a really big head for a puppy. Soon after arriving at Loving Hands, he developed symptoms of the parvovirus, a nasty killer of puppies. While helping my wife give him a blood transfusion, I started crying and said, “Beefy, if you will live, I will adopt you.” He started getting better the next day and soon came home with us.

Beefy lived with us almost 15 years. He was a friendly, patient dog who soon got the job of helping JoAnne when she taught a child to use a stethoscope. Hundreds of children listened to Beef’s heart beating over the years. Many pre-vet students and veterinary nurses in training learned to draw blood from Beefy until he “retired” from teaching invasive procedures in his later years.

We said goodbye to Beefy on Sunday. We will never forget him