James Stewart (Jimmy Stewart) captivated audiences for decades with award-winning films like It’s A Wonderful Life and The Philadelphia Story. Known for his distinctive voice and relatable characters, his career spanned from 1935 to 1991, making him a mid-20th-century icon.
Ranked third by the American Film Institute among the greatest American male actors in 1999, Stewart’s humble grace and love for pets made him a relatable and endearing cinematic giant.
When his dog Beau passed away, he wrote a heartfelt poem about their bond and read it on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in July 1981. The reading was so moving that even Johnny Carson shed a tear.
Jimmy Stewart loved animals, especially his dog Beau so much
James Stewart had a genuine and deep love for animals, speaking about them with true emotion and affection.
As Stewart once said:
“Animals give me more pleasure through the viewfinder of a camera than they ever did in the crosshairs of a gunsight. And after I’ve finished ‘shooting’, my unharmed victims are still around for others to enjoy. I have developed a deep respect for animals. I consider them fellow living creatures with certain rights that should not be violated any more than those of humans.”
During his long marriage to Gloria, they had several dogs, including two Golden Retrievers named Kelly and Judy.
The couple once enrolled them in a six-week training program, but they only lasted one night. Jimmy missed the dogs too much and brought them back home, preferring their joyful presence over strict obedience.
He told Stanley Coren, PhD., “I’d rather have a happy dog than a trained one.”
His dogs weren’t good at commands like ‘sit’ or ‘stay’. He didn’t mind if they pulled on their leashes or jumped up in excitement. To him, a dog jumping up was just their way of showing love, and he never intended to punish them for it.
“…it seems kind of cruel to me. If my dog jumps up on me I figure that he wants to kiss my face and tell me that he thinks that I’m a really nice person. I don’t believe that you should punish a dog for saying ‘I love you.’ “
Instead, he cherished those moments of affection.
Stewart also had a special bond with a horse named Pie, who he rode in 17 movies. But the animal he cherished most was his golden retriever, Beau.
Beau had a habit of sneaking into bed at night to lie between Stewart and Gloria. He once confessed,
“I know that I should have pushed him off the bed, but I didn’t. He was up there because he wanted me to pat his head, so that’s what I would do. Somehow, my touching his hair made him happier, and just the feeling of him lying against me helped me sleep better.”
When Beau became seriously ill and had to be euthanized, Stewart was heartbroken. He sat in his car for ten minutes afterward, wiping away tears.
He later shared, “After he died, there were a lot of nights when I was certain that I could feel him get into bed beside me, and I would reach out and pat his head. The feeling was so real that I wrote a poem about it and about how much it hurt to realize that he wasn’t going to be there anymore.”
He named the poem “Beau” after his dog’s name.
He read a poem named “Beau” on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
In a memorable 1981 episode, Jimmy Stewart appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show. During his segment, he asked if he could read a poem about his dog, Beau.
“On the evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.”
The poem began with humor, causing the audience and host to laugh. But soon, it turned into a heartfelt tribute to his golden retriever.
“And there are nights when I think I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
But he’s not there.
Oh, how I wish that wasn’t so,
I’ll always love a dog named Beau.”
Anyone who has had a pet knows how dear they become to us. They are part of our family, and their loss is deeply felt. It’s no surprise this beautiful poem brought Johnny Carson to tears.
This kind of poem and performance captures the listener’s attention completely, drawing them into Stewart’s world. He once stated, “Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.” This approach is evident as he shares his poem.
Beyond the simple and charming words, there’s a deeper meaning. As Stewart said in The Shop Around the Corner, “You know, people seldom go to the trouble of scratching the surface of things to find the inner truth.”
With his poem Beau, he reveals that inner truth with ease, touching even Carson’s usually composed demeanor.
More about the Jimmy Stewart sweetest dog poem
The poem was officially called “Beau,” though some also referred to it as “I’ll Never Forget a Dog Named Beau.” Stewart first recited it on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and later published it in a collection titled Jimmy Stewart and His Poems around 1981.
According to the stories, Stewart was filming a movie in Arizona when his veterinarian called with bad news about Beau: the dog was terminally ill. His wife, Gloria, sought permission to euthanize Beau.
Stewart refused to decide over the phone, telling the vet, “Keep him alive, and I’ll be there.” He requested a few days’ leave and spent final moments with Beau before giving the doctor permission for euthanasia.
This time with Beau, though short, was deeply cherished by Stewart. He later wrote about it, capturing the preciousness of those last moments.
Stewart explained that the poem was born from the intense sadness he felt after losing Beau. The emotion in the poem is so powerful that even today, readers can feel the deep sorrow that Stewart experienced.