Susan Almond Beard, 1953-2025
With immense love and gRATitude, the New Rattitude community remembers Susan Beard, one of our organization’s original founders. Susan served on the New Rattitude Board of Directors since 2009 — as Vice President in 2010 and 2014, as President in 2011 and 2012, and as Secretary from 2016 through 2024. She also directed our ReHome Program since 2009, finding homes for almost 100 Rat Terriers who didn’t fit into our foster care network. Susan was an extremely talented graphic designer and publisher, the driving creative force behind our various annual initiatives (the Photo Contest, calendar, holiday fund drive, Annual Report, and yearly T-shirt design) as well as various other New Rattitude publications, such as publicity rack cards, flyers, and a long-running monthly newsletter. Essentially, when New Rattitude needed something done right, we counted on Susan.
New Rattitude wasn’t Susan’s first association with a Rat Terrier organization. In 2006 she was one of the original founders of the Southeast Rat Terrier Jamboree. Along with a small group of rattie-loving cohorts, including our own Debbie & Rick Collins and Patti & Jim Jeffries, these dedicated individuals took over a previous Rat Terrier “convention” and turned it into a fun annual event in Sweetwater, TN, where ratties and their humans from all over the country come together to play, engage in friendly competition, hang out, meet new friends, and network. After several years, as Jamboree grew bigger and bigger and as the leaders became more and more closely affiliated with New Rattitude, they decided in 2012 to bequeath Jamboree to the New Rattitude organization. And thus was born the New Rattitude Rat Terrier Jamboree with an expanded crew of organizers and workers. Anyone who has been to the Jamboree has met Susan — faithfully handling all of the registrations and advance materials, manning the registration booth, enrolling the contest participants, and just generally keeping things running smoothly.
Besides being a Rat Terrier rescuer and enthusiast, this strong, smart, and independent woman was, through the years, a musician, medical lab tech, teacher, carpenter, fisherman, antiques dealer, graphic designer, business starter, and the most wonderful mother.
Susan, we thank you for your service and friendship. You are FUREVER in the heart of New Rattitude.
