Fifteen is a nice, old age for a dog and I'm grateful that Scout stuck around as long as she did. We had scares over the course of her lifetime because animals ALWAYS get into some strange predicaments.
For example, I learned early on that if you store your pups toys in a fancy wicker basket, she will surely be more interested in chewing up the basket rather than the toys inside. She will also get a piece of that wicker lodged sideways in her mouth which will ensue an emergency vet trip. Another time, she thought ornamental grass would make a tasty treat but somehow instead of swallowing it, she arranged to get it stuck in her nasal cavity and once again, an emergency trip to the vet was made. A surgery revealed a piece of grass as long as an ink pen stuck up her snout. And then, just about a month before we said our good-bye, she attempted to eat an entire mini corndog all in one bite which caused Greg to have to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her. She definitely made my heart skip a few beats on more than one occasion.
We also had so many good, happy times that I only wish I could remember and record every one of them. One time, we took her on a trip to Chicago with us and the hotel we were staying at just so happened to be hosting a dog show. Everywhere we went, she was complimented on how cute she was and wished good luck on a dog show in which she would not be participating. But she held her head high and pranced just to prove she was every bit as fancy as the other canines.
She went on vacations to Myrtle Beach, Cherokee NC and Lake Barkley. We tried to take her with us wherever we went if it was at all possible. After all, she was our family.
I knew her health was failing yet a part of me what hopeful that she would pass quietly in her sleep so that I wouldn't have to make the humane, yet sad decision to let her go. The day we said good-bye, the kids and I spent the day giving her cuddles. We bought her a cheeseburger and she seemed to savor every bite of it. And then later, I wrapped her in a baby blanket in the vet's office and held her in my arms as she drifted into a deep sleep. She had been deaf for about the past year so although I know she couldn't hear my voice as I tried to soothe her, I am hopeful that she could feel the love.
I've thought a lot about how each of us have a purpose in our lives and I am sure the same is true for pets. Scout went full circle with me and I'm convinced that she didn't leave me until things were finally right in my life.
You see, I got Scout in 1999 shortly after my daughter passed away. She gave me something to love and something to care for when my heart was broken. Then, in 2006 she was faithfully by my side when I decided to make a change in my life by making the move to Louisville. She and I took walks together in our new city and then, we met a friend to take those walks with us. That friend later became by husband. In 2009, I had a very difficult pregnancy and was put on home bed rest and then later, hospital bed rest. I know that Scout sensed that I was very sick. She rarely left my side and each day that I had to spend in bed, she stayed right next to me. And after all of that, she stayed a few more years until I had my son. I think dogs are very intelligent creatures and because of this, I believe that Scout knew that my life is finally where it needed to be. I'm not the same broken person I was when she rescued me.
I still miss her but I find comfort in knowing that her old bones no longer ache. I'll bet she runs back and forth across fields all day and still feels the love that we all have in our hearts for her.
R.I.P., sweet Scout. Until we meet again....
Scout LaRue 5/8/99-6/24/14
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