For Jamie Hulit, love is blind, especially when it comes to a special labrador named Beaux Tox.
The Austin, Texas resident saw a post online by a friend of a deformed dog with a smooshed in face and uneven eyes looking for a foster or to be adopted.
Image Credit: Jamie Hulit
“I called my friend and said, ‘I want that dog. I don’t even want to foster him. I want him,’” Hulit told TODAY.
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Beaux’s upbringing wasn’t easy. Born in a litter of six puppies, his mom’s womb was very crowded, resulting in Beaux having a sunken cranium and his lopsided eyes, according the outlet. Despite his deformities, vets believed he would live a normal life. Unfortunately, his breeder wasn’t too keen on finding Beaux the perfect home. He gave the dog away for free to an owner in Austin. It didn’t go well.
Image Credit: Jamie Hulit
When Hulit arrived to pick Beaux up at the owner’s home, she realized his issues went beyond his face. The dog was stuck in a backyard, living outside with no bed and no love. He was underweight (weighing a measly 42 pounds), infested with fleas and mites and was heartworm positive. When Hulit took him to the vet, they weren’t sure he was going to make it.
Image Credit: Jamie Hulit
For his first month, Beaux was basically living on an oxygen tank, too weak to even start the heartworm treatment. There were a few times when Hulit thought Beaux wouldn’t make it through the day, even once driving up in the middle of the night to say goodbye, according to TODAY. But Beaux wasn’t giving up, and after three months, he could finally start heartworm treatment. Late last year, he was in the clear. (He did have hearing loss in one ear due to the mites and went blind in an eye.)
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Image Credit: Jamie Hulit
It’s been about a year since Beaux was adopted by Hulit. He now weighs 108 pounds, has a roof over his head and two dog siblings. He is extremely popular in his neighborhood, always sporting a tie to “soften” his appearance — and make him more approachable. His Instagram account advocates for heartworm prevention, his GoFund Me page hopes to help other animals in need and has been a blessing for Hulit.
Image Credit: Jamie Hulit
“I would do it all over again because this dog has taught me so much,” Hulit told the outlet, adding, “He doesn’t know he’s deformed. He thinks he’s the most handsome thing there ever was and we just let him think that.”