Scout
A donation was made in memory of Scout by the doctors and staff at Latah Creek Animal Hospital on Apr 16, 2024.
My now-husband and I were living in Austin in 2013. I was attending graduate school while he started his career. In June 2013, he had an opportunity to begin a business venture with his brother in San Diego; I had over a year left in my program, so we decided to continue our relationship in different states. He wanted me to have a companion while he was away to keep me company, so he surprised me on my birthday. It was a completely non-emotional decision to get a dog...not :) But it was the best decision, with the biggest rewards.
Scout, then called Melina, was a rescue pup at Austin Pets Alive, a no-kill animal shelter in Austin. We initially planned to visit another young lab at the shelter, but Scout caught my eye. She was slinked as far back as she could go in her kennel with the saddest eyes, and she looked frightened. My heart just sank...I needed to see this pup. We asked a volunteer working if they could help us get her out of the kennel to play. It took some coaxing and major treats, but she warmed up and let us take her out. As soon as she was in the play area, I told her to sit, and she listened to the command. She looked up at me with her big, beautiful golden eyes, and I was hers immediately.
We had some growing pains, learning that although Scout was house-trained, she wasn't quite leash trained and fetching was just a chasing game, not a return game. We also realized that Scout must have experienced a really rough first year-and-a-half of her life, because she was afraid of men and generally quite timid around people. My husband quickly helped her overcome that fear; in time, he became her biggest snuggle buddy. She was fiercely protective of us as well as our oldest daughter who arrived in 2021 when Scout was 10. And my goodness, I've never encountered a more patient dog with a baby. She was amazing, and I'll never forget how she treated our daughter.
Scout loved to be outside and, most of all, sunbathing! We were fortunate enough to purchase a home in 2019 but the backyard was just dust and needed to be developed. Scout didn't mind; she would lay as long as I'd let her in that dust, just soaking up the sun. She'd eventually move into the shade, then back into the sun, for hours on end. I'll never forget that the week of her death in mid-March, we had some uncharacteristically warm weather (like high 60s and sunny). In her final days, she was able to lay outside and soak up the sun for hours on end. After her passing, the weather returned to the typical cold and wet spring days of the PNW, and I like to think it was beautiful weather just for her.
The house seems empty without her, her perch on the stairs bare and naked. The space in our room where she slept has been replaced with a diaper pail and changing table following the birth of our second daughter just two months after Scout left us. Her nose art has disappeared from our windows, and her kennel no longer sits in the laundry room. But we have so many memories of that goofball, so many wonderful memories. Her ashes sit on our bookshelf at the top of the stairs, and my 2 1/2 year old will often walk by and give her paw print a little pat and say, "Hi Scout! I love you!" What I'd give to hold her head in my palms again and hug her, feel her soft fur. But I know her time with us was limited, and she made it count.
I'm so thankful that we found Scout. She came into our lives during a difficult emotional journey, and she became the glue that kept our family together. She was with us through all of life's major changes, like cross-country moves, engagements (she was there when we got engaged!), weddings, growing families, and grieving. In our most difficult moment, when my husband's brother passed unexpectedly, Scout was there to cuddle us as we cried and forced us to get outside for walks. She kept us sane during the pandemic, and she loved us unconditionally through it all.
Scout taught us what it means to love unconditionally and that there's nothing quite like the feeling of walking through the door and getting lots of cuddles and wiggle butt. I miss her terribly, but I'm so thankful for the nearly 11 years we had with her. She will forever be part of our family. Thank you, girl, for loving us. Rest easy sweet girl.
Scout, then called Melina, was a rescue pup at Austin Pets Alive, a no-kill animal shelter in Austin. We initially planned to visit another young lab at the shelter, but Scout caught my eye. She was slinked as far back as she could go in her kennel with the saddest eyes, and she looked frightened. My heart just sank...I needed to see this pup. We asked a volunteer working if they could help us get her out of the kennel to play. It took some coaxing and major treats, but she warmed up and let us take her out. As soon as she was in the play area, I told her to sit, and she listened to the command. She looked up at me with her big, beautiful golden eyes, and I was hers immediately.
We had some growing pains, learning that although Scout was house-trained, she wasn't quite leash trained and fetching was just a chasing game, not a return game. We also realized that Scout must have experienced a really rough first year-and-a-half of her life, because she was afraid of men and generally quite timid around people. My husband quickly helped her overcome that fear; in time, he became her biggest snuggle buddy. She was fiercely protective of us as well as our oldest daughter who arrived in 2021 when Scout was 10. And my goodness, I've never encountered a more patient dog with a baby. She was amazing, and I'll never forget how she treated our daughter.
Scout loved to be outside and, most of all, sunbathing! We were fortunate enough to purchase a home in 2019 but the backyard was just dust and needed to be developed. Scout didn't mind; she would lay as long as I'd let her in that dust, just soaking up the sun. She'd eventually move into the shade, then back into the sun, for hours on end. I'll never forget that the week of her death in mid-March, we had some uncharacteristically warm weather (like high 60s and sunny). In her final days, she was able to lay outside and soak up the sun for hours on end. After her passing, the weather returned to the typical cold and wet spring days of the PNW, and I like to think it was beautiful weather just for her.
The house seems empty without her, her perch on the stairs bare and naked. The space in our room where she slept has been replaced with a diaper pail and changing table following the birth of our second daughter just two months after Scout left us. Her nose art has disappeared from our windows, and her kennel no longer sits in the laundry room. But we have so many memories of that goofball, so many wonderful memories. Her ashes sit on our bookshelf at the top of the stairs, and my 2 1/2 year old will often walk by and give her paw print a little pat and say, "Hi Scout! I love you!" What I'd give to hold her head in my palms again and hug her, feel her soft fur. But I know her time with us was limited, and she made it count.
I'm so thankful that we found Scout. She came into our lives during a difficult emotional journey, and she became the glue that kept our family together. She was with us through all of life's major changes, like cross-country moves, engagements (she was there when we got engaged!), weddings, growing families, and grieving. In our most difficult moment, when my husband's brother passed unexpectedly, Scout was there to cuddle us as we cried and forced us to get outside for walks. She kept us sane during the pandemic, and she loved us unconditionally through it all.
Scout taught us what it means to love unconditionally and that there's nothing quite like the feeling of walking through the door and getting lots of cuddles and wiggle butt. I miss her terribly, but I'm so thankful for the nearly 11 years we had with her. She will forever be part of our family. Thank you, girl, for loving us. Rest easy sweet girl.
