I adopted Scout (we also called him Baby Scoot or Scoutmaster) as an 8 week old puppy from a local pet store in 2014. From day one, he was loved and spoiled rotten. All he wanted to do was snuggle and play as a puppy. I was living in Post Falls, and working in north Spokane during his young life. My parents, Mark and Pam, lived in the valley, so I would drop him off for "day care" on my way to work, and pick him up on my way home. Since my mom was home all day, she could give him the love and cuddles he wanted. Then my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. During that time, her and Scout bonded so strongly he didn't even want to leave some days. He was her therapy dog, her sense of normalcy during this rough time, her grand-dog. They became inseparable. Their other chihuahua, Ella, also was best friends with him. The two of them would snuggle together on a heating pad and follow my mom around the house.

I moved to Las Vegas to live with my husband in 2016, and I left Scout with my mom. I knew I couldn't give him the life he had with her, and I knew she would have been heartbroken. She always sent me pictures of him, and told me about their daily errands around town. My mom overcame the cancer, and I honestly think Scout helped pull her through. Since the cancer, my mom has had numerous other stressful situations that she has relied on Scout to help keep her calm. He would snuggle up on her lap for her morning coffee and I could see the companionship they had. He was definitely a little angel in disguise. My dad had a special bond with him as well. Scout would beg for table scraps, but my dad would feed him kibbles of dog food and Scout always thought it was human food. My brother would just be ecstatic when Scout would sit on his lap. Scout never liked men, but was slowly working up confidence with my brother. In March of 2019, my parents sold their house and bought a new one in Post Falls. I'm living in Montana now as my husband is Air Force, and got stationed here. We drive over every so often to visit. But during the sale of their house and the buying process, Scout was appreciated more than ever. He knew my mom was under immense amounts of stress, and that he just wanted to lay by her side in his "throne" which was a dining chair pulled over by the couch, with blankets and a bed. The two of them were still inseparable. Sometimes when I was visiting, Scout didn't even want to see me. He had to stay with my mom.

But a couple months of living in the new house, that's when things went downhill. I don't remember all of it because I wasn't there, but my parents said that he wasn't eating or drinking, and he didn't want to urinate. They took him to a vet in Post Falls and they gave him some medication thinking it was just a uti/bladder infection. They did an ultrasound, but didn't say there was anything in his kidneys or bladder. A day later he wasn't getting any better. My mom took him to Dr. Leese and they found a bladder stone that was blocking his urethra 100%. Surgery was too risky to remove it, and he would have been in more pain. My mom and Dr. Leese made the painful decision to put Scout of his misery so he wasn't suffering anymore. I was planning a trip into town the next day, but he just couldn't wait and suffer more. And my mom didn't want me to see him like that, all sick and in pain. My husband got the call from my mom of the news, and he told me when I got home before we left that night. It was devastating. I knew he was in bad shape, but I thought he would pull through. He was only 4 years old, almost 5. He was too young for this. The car ride to my parents was somber. And I was crying going through old pictures. Their house was quieter without four more paws clicking on the hardwood floor, and without one more mouth that was barking when we opened the door. It took us all a while to not ask Scout if he needed to go outside. Ella was a little sad too. She always laid in her bed and slept most of the day, but this was different. My mom and I cried and cried, but we took comfort knowing he was loved and spoiled his entire life, that he had a warm and safe home, and that he never went hungry, or never had to suffer from any other health complications. His toys are still strewn about their house, and Ella has since taken over the throne. I still have pictures on my wall of Scout and my cat Oliver cuddled up. Every visit is a little sad knowing he won't come running down the hall, but he's not suffering anymore, and he was loved. And that's what we all have to focus on.

But we are so gracious for Dr. Leese donating in his memory to WSU, and knowing that money is going towards a great cause, and knowing it will be appreciated. We are grateful for her compassionate care in difficult times like this, but also the happy times like getting new puppy shots or simple check ups. She's been our family vet for longer than I can really remember, and when we move back to the Spokane area, my husband and I will be taking our two cats to her. Maybe even in the future we'll even adopt a dog.