Scout, the Dog

You've met my daughters, Nicole and Rebeccah:

 

You're acquainted with Mark:

   

And I'm pretty sure you know me:

 

But there's another member of our family to whom you haven't officially been introduced, and that is Scout, the dog:

   

He is our best dog and today is his birthday. Scoutie Cutie is 13 years old.

The story goes like this: Mark married a family of three and became a home owner with a really big yard all in one swell foop. We'd planned on getting a dog at the end of a year, but a friend of mine at work had found this cute little guy abandoned on the side of the road and he needed a home. Were we interested? Well, not really because it was too soon, but then we went to see him and, what can I say? Puppy love kicked in and we became a family of five. I mean seriously, who could resist this guy?

He had floppy ears, he hadn't grown into his feet yet, he liked to chase a milk jug around the kitchen floor, and our little girls adored him. Because Mark and I had just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird and the dog had a gray marking on his neck that looked like a kerchief that Boy Scouts wear, we decided to name him Scout.

When we say "Good boy, Scout," we chuckle a little bit inside.

When I was growing up we had a slew of pets: Daisy, Marmelade, Gretchen, Muffin, Ragnar, Peaches, Priscilla, and Tootsie--dogs and cats that came in and out of our lives who turned out to be temporary guests. 2 got hit by cars, 2 were ill and had to be put down, 2 were too large and/or rambunctious for my parents' tastes, and one chewed her way out of my parents' good graces. Priscilla was around the longest, three years, but she died after eating a chocolate bar that was left open one Christmas day on my bed.

But Scout, he's been our tried and true best buddy of a dog. Neither Mark nor I has ever had a pet this long, and now that Scout is starting to show his age with cataracts and arthritis, we're having to face the fact that his time with us is growing shorter. We can't imagine our lives without him, and I find myself wishing that he could live with us as long as humans do. For he is as much a part of our family as any of us, the difference being that we've never had an argument. He's never hurt my feelings, criticized me, or rolled his eyes at me. He's peed on the floor, sure, but he's never once rolled his eyes at me.

I'm amazed that after all these years he still hasn't figured out how to feed himself or to let himself out, and he is a bit on the needy side, but other than that he's just the best.

So today I wish Scout a happy birthday and a wish that his remaining time with us is as enjoyable as possible because trite though it may be, he really is man's best friend. But even more than that, he's our best friend and we'd keep him for absolute ever if we could.

Love you, Scout-bud. Love you with all my heart.

Comments

[Marilyn Moore]

Catherine,
I loved the part where you said that Scout never rolled his eyes at you. My teenage daughters constantly rolled their eyes at me!
I hope that you have lots more quality time with Scout. For unconditional love, you can't beat a dog. I adored my dog Chimi. We had her for 15 years. She came in a package deal when Paul married me. He didn't really like Chimi and the feeling was mutual. In fact, nobody really liked Chimi except me and my daughter Natalie! But, boy, did I ever love that dog.
Marilyn
See you tonight.
Marilyn

[Dawn McVey (dawnsing)]

Aww....happy birthday, Scout!! Our Riley-boy is 8 yrs old now and I know what you mean....can't even imagine life without him. Such a sweet boy. Hope Scout gets a yummy treat for his birthday! :)

[Alice]

Happy Birthday Scout! too funny about the peeing on the floor bit :) Actually, I can say that about a couple of my kids as well as pets...

Love the gorgeous nature photos in your last post too!

[Megan Hoeppner]

In my best doggie voice, I'd like to say, "Happy birthday Scout!" Your pup pals, Kisses and Jack, are sending you many birthday wishes. :)

[Kalyn]

Happy Birthday to Scout!