Merry Christmas! Everyone, meet Scout, the Affenpinscher with the funny tongue!
I’ve been hearing Scout stories for months, hearing offers to send Scout home with me, will someone please take this dog. I don’t know what I expected, but it sure isn’t what I found when I finally met Scout. You’ll understand as you see his story unfold. He truly is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve met in forever.
Scout was just six months old when the family got him. Don’t holler, but he was a pup that a breeder was auctioning off for a missions’ auction. He’s seven years old now, but you’d never know it from his energy level.
My friend got Scout when her dad was terribly ill, just prior to a major ice storm here in Tulsa. She and Scout moved in with her dad near the end of his life and Scout was a great source of comfort, staying by her side, still and quiet till the end.
That was Scout when he needed to be still and Quiet, while hospice was in and out. That is not Scout now. He’s a bundle of energy. But still, why, you ask, would a family want to get rid of such an adorable bundle of energy?
Turns out Scout is an escape artist on level with Houdini. He also has bladder stone issues (twice he’s been to the vet specifically for bladder stones, but they’ve got him on food which keeps them away). And the escape act?
There’s rabbit mesh surrounding the yard and fence, but Scout still gets out. His escaping drives the family crazy, since he won’t come back. Once, in fact, he escaped and was hit by a car. He has a metal ball in his hip to prove it.
Last year Scout had a stroke. Since then he licks the air around him constantly. And he’s been an extremely messy eater since then. That, um, leads to his unusual tongue. And why my friend no longer grooms him herself. You know what’s coming, right? She was trimming the hair on his face and he licked right into the scissors.
Y’all, Scout has been one traumatizing dog for this sweet family. So why do they keep him? Besides the fact that they’ve spent tons of money to keep him alive? My friend has an autistic four year old boy. Sweetest child ever. Loves Coldplay. Loves Scout. And Scout loves him. The boy is rough with Scout, but Scout never nips, just growls a warning.
That right there is enough. Scout is obviously loved and loving. He’s been a member of the family for seven years. The kids all adore him. The dad – one last story? I’m told that initially Scout wouldn’t let my friend’s husband near her in the beginning, barking and barking when he’d try and get close. He finally had enough and barked at Scout for ten minutes until the dog relented. Barked the dog down. Now they’re best buds.
I’ve offered to take Scout home with me (y’all know that Hunny wants a lap dog), and as tempting as that is, the rest of the family would never part with him. They might let me babysit, though.
Until I write again …
Flea
