Beau

If you’ve ever loved a dog whose mischief was only matched by their deep devotion,
actor Jimmy Stewart’s famous poem Beau will hit you right in the heart.

When Stewart appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981,
he read a simple, unpretentious poem he had written about his unruly Golden Retriever, Beau.
He recounted Beau’s bad habits—digging up rosebushes, biting the delivery driver, and refusing to heel—
before turning to the quiet nights when Beau would wander into the bedroom just to seek comfort from his human.

“And there were nights when I’d feel this stare,
And I’d wake up and he’d be sitting there,
And I’d reach out my hand and stroke his hair…”

By the time Stewart reached the final lines describing life after losing Beau,
Johnny Carson and millions of viewers at home
were reduced to tears.
It remains one of the most emotional moments in television history.

👉 Watch Jimmy Stewart read the full poem on The Tonight Show (1981)

Note: If you'd like to check out the full published text of his poetry collections down the road,
you can find them via Google Search or at your local library in his book, "Jimmy Stewart and His Poems".