A pointer-mix nicknamed Beau Blue had no owner or a place to call home, but the recent passing of the stray pooch has not gone unnoticed in the Fort Worth neighborhood where he had become a fixture.
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Most days, Blue could be seen roaming vacant lots, strolling past renovated buildings and sniffing around small businesses off South Main Street just to make sure that everything was on point.
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This whole little area was his kingdom,’ said Marcus Newton, who moved into the neighborhood about a year ago. ‘He ruled the place.’
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Fort Worth police officer G.G. Hempstead, who helped care for the dog, quickly learned that Blue knew the whole neighborhood.
‘This dog brought joy to everybody,’ Hempstead told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. ‘He guarded everybody. He would walk you down the street. When I first met him, I thought he needed me; then later I realized I needed him.’
After especially tough calls, Hempstead would seek out Blue, who would lick and snuggle up to her, helping the stressed out officer calm down.
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Blue was also the four-legged guardian of the area’s homeless population, often checking up on down-on-their-luck people living on the streets just like him.
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Crowley veterinarian Dehna Shaffer cared for Blue over the last 11 days of his life.
‘A lot of times we go, “He's just a dog,"’ Shaffer said. ‘But this “Just a dog" carried the heart of a community on his brave little shoulders. He was really special to all of y'all.’
