Friday, April 04, 2008

Happy Birthday, Scouty-Outy!!!

One year ago today, our sweet Scouty was born into rescue. His mother, a 10 month old black lab, had been dumped, pregnant, at the rescue by her owner. He told Jennifer (the lady who runs the rescue) that the father was a neighborhood golden retriever, though she told me later that she doesn't really believe much of what she hears, particularly from someone willing to dump their very young, pregnant dog when they should have had her fixed in the first place. True that!

Anyway, Barry and the kids had been pestering me for the ok to get a puppy for months at that point. It's not that I'm not a dog lover...its just that I know what a big responsibility a dog is, and I wanted to make sure we were ready. I knew we wanted a rescue dog...it was just a matter of finding the right one. Many times I thought I might have found the one, but by the time I called, they were gone. Then one night I was sitting here perusing Petfinder for the, well...1,000th time and came across a litter of 11(!) puppies...newborn black lab/golden retriever mixes. We talked a bit that night about the pros and cons of getting a newborn puppy versus an older rescue dog...and then decided to send in an application. The next day, Jennifer emailed me to tell me that she had seen the link to my blog on my email signature and after reading my blog and seeing pics of us and our property, we were approved as far as she was concerned. I was elated...AND apprehensive. What was I getting myself into? I knew that although the kids were promising to help, the majority of the work was going to fall on my shoulders. Not that Barry wouldn't be helping, of course...but let's be real...I'm the one who's here all day. And sometimes I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job handling just the house and the kids! Would I be able to cope with a new puppy too?

We went to meet the puppies ...my goodness , were they cute! It was so hard to choose, but one was so laid back that he just laid down among all the playing puppies and took a nap. He was so roly-poly, with his milk-filled belly...we were hooked. And he was gentle...never nipped at the kids at all...unlike a few of the others. We didn't get to take him home that day...he wasn't quite ready. He still needed shots, and the rescue would neuter him before we took him home. We had two weeks to get ready...so much to do! We picked him up the first week of June, and he weighed in at a hefty 11 lbs...at 8 weeks old. We asked Jennifer how big she thought he would get. She estimated about 65-75 lbs based on the size of his mother, and that was cool with us! We loaded him up into our little cat carrier and took him home. Look at the feet on that little cutie... He adjusted just fine. Hardly had any accidents in the house, and really just wanted to sleep all the time! No wonder...he was growing so fast...about 10 lbs per month! The vet laughed when I told him he was a lab/golden mix. He actually said, "Who told you THAT? That dog has Newfoundland in him!" Boy, he wasn't kidding! By December, he was 94 lbs...and still just a laid-back pup. We have been spoiled...he has been a dream of a dog, and really, with as freaked out as I was, we couldn't have asked for a better dog to break us in. In fact, Barry said early on that we should get another so he could have a playmate. Ummmm, no. I know when I've been lucky, and lighting doesn't strike in the same place twice...or so they say!

We love our Scouty-Outy, as Noah calls him, and can't imagine not having him. He is Kendall's adventure buddy, Noah's best friend, our faithful companion, and the baby of the house. We sometimes have to remind ourselves of that. He's still a baby...a GIANT baby, but a baby nonetheless.

Happy Birthday, sweet puppy!

12 comments:

Logzie said...

Scout is such a beautiful dog!! I just want to reach in my computer and scratch his head until his leg starts a goin! LOL!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I think I'm in love with your dog. He's adorable and sounds like such a perfect pet!

Alisa said...

Happy Birthday Big Boy! I loved this post because I am a HUGE animal lover and we celebrate our pet's birthday too! They add so much joy to the family.What a great addition to your family and I can't see him named anything else. He just looks like a scout!

California Girl said...

What a beautiful dog!! And I love that you have pics of him as a pup. Happy Birthday Big Guy!

kenady said...

He is a gorgeous puppy-dog! Sounds like the perfect fit for you and your family:)

Evil Transport Lady said...

OMG! He is so cute! A dog you just want to hug! Good job going to a rescue! I'm glad you are a happy furry family!

Kate said...

oh yeah, he's definitely got some Newfie in him . What a sweety pup! Happy Birthday Scout!

Jenelle said...

Sweet dog. When you are done with your spring cleaning and organizing - wanna come to my house and do the same??

KC said...

He is a beautiful dog! He sounds a lot like our dog. We rescued our Black Lab, Toby, from the local shelter. They thought he was about 3, but we took him to be neutered, and the vet has his previous records. He wasn't even 1! We were shocked! He was already at 89 lbs at 10 months! He is now 3 yrs old, and has been a PERFECT dog! No chewing, or digging, and he is GREAT with the kids. When they are outside playing, he just lays beside them with his head up looking around, protecting them. Heaven forbid if someone pulls into our driveway and the kids are outside, he is ready to chew this person up and spit them out! haha
He also LOVES to swim and play fetch, and he minds better than our kids do! haha We couldn't have asked for a better dog. I'm spoiled now, and know I would probably never get this lucky again.

Kiki said...

So if Scout stood up on "his" hind legs how tall would he be?? I am petrified of dogs, in fact tonight at my father-in-laws house I stood frozen in place because his two chihuahuas were circling me and barking...and are you bringing Scout with you to the beach???

He is kind of cute and if you say he doesn't bite...at all...he might be all right. Happy Birthday Scout, may you have many years ahead full of good bones and lots of tummy rubs. Something tells me he already gets that though. Heehee

Kuckie said...

Logzie - He would love that!

Terri - He is...and you would love him!

Alisa - I agree 100%!

caligirl- Thanks!

Kenady - he sure is!

ELL - Trust me when I tell you that his cuteness cannot be captured by the camera...he's so much cuter in person!

Kate - Newfies are awesome!

jenelle - Yeah, see you next year. I think I'll be dusting logs and beams for months!

KC - Glad you found your perfect pup too!

Kiki - he'd be tall, for sure, but he doesn't jump on people. And I promise, as soon as you met him you would not be afraid! He exudes sweetness!!! But no, he will not be making the trip to the beach!!!

BITR Country Girl said...

He's a pretty boy! I was going to say by his baby pictures that he definately wasn't a mix of golden. My grandparents have had several Newfie's over the years and he's a dead ringer for one they had named Bear.

 
Designed by Lena