The Status of Scout

I have been very open with EVERYONE about the status of the dog situation around here.

 I've had dogs in the past. We gave two away just before Aidan was born.  I had an English Bulldog named Lucy that I absolutely adored but she started to attack Adam when I was pregnant.  We did what we thought was the best thing and gave her to a very nice family. I still miss her.  Then there was Frasier our Sharpei.  When Adam and I first started dating we did the typical cliche relationship thing and got a puppy together.  When Lucy started getting aggressive and we had decided to find her a new home, Adam's parents expressed interest in having Frasier come live with them.  We were never home and they were so it worked out perfect.  He is still with them today and happy as a clam.  Over two years ago, we tried to make it work with a friend's English Bulldog that he couldn't keep and that didn't work out.  We were just too busy with Aidan and it was unfair to the dog. 

 "Mom, take a picture of me and Scouty."   Daily occurrence.

So i didn't know if I was ready to try the dog thing again.  I would be lying right through this computer if I told you I was anything short of furious when Adam brought Scout home.  I had a moment where I was channeling my own mother when I begged for that English bulldog years earlier. I was giving him lectures on responsibility and how our life style just isn't conducive.  I was fuming at the thought of a puppy having accidents on our nice rugs and dog hair all over our furniture.  Ever heard the saying "You can have a nice Home or you can have a Dog."

How could you not love that face?

 Let's not forget to mention why on Earth would he make such a decision without consulting me? The thing is, I love the idea of a dog...I don't like the work that comes along with it. It is a HUGE responsibility. At least children can eventually feed themselves and use the bathroom on their own. Dogs are dependent on you for those things FOREVER.

Scout doesn't seem to mind that Aidan takes him everywhere.

 Compromising is not my strongest point. But compromising is just what I had to do.  And it looked like this. SCOUT CAN HAVE A TRIAL RUN.  I didn't know if I would last 2 hours or 2 weeks but I said I would try.  I would put the effort in to make it work.  Everyone (Aidan included) is going to pitch in. We're going to train the dog. I want him on a schedule and I don't want him in our beds or on our other furniture. We all committed to try it out and see how things went.

Buds.

I am really happy to report...it's been pretty easy. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever wanted a Jack Russell Terrier.  Everything I have ever heard about their temperament kind of turned me off.   The words "lots of energy" would not have been ones I would like to hear when selecting a breed.   A co-worker of mine has a Jack Russell and when he heard about our new puppy told me to take him back!  But Scout is really, really great.  He just fits with us. I don't know if it was/is the endless amounts of praying I do that he will work out so Aidan's heart isn't broken or if it's just that the three of us were so determined to make it work out but it has. 

Aidan is crazy about him.

The last 2 months have flown by and we have stayed on a schedule and we have stuck to keeping him off the furniture and his accidents have been minimal. He listens, he's good with Aidan (they spend hours in the back yard together) and even the cats like him! There is a benefit to him being a small breed because we are able to bring him a lot of places with us. One of my biggest fears would be that he would spend all his time in a crate. All in all, he's been a welcome addition to our little family. I am sure there will be more times I will look at Adam and think "I am going to kill you for bringing this dog home" but those thoughts will be few and far between I'm sure. I just ordered his monogrammed collar and dog bed.  Scout is here to stay.   



So teeny tiny here.



                                     

He does get to get in our bed once in a while at night and snuggles.  But he sleeps in his crate every night.  On Christmas I was willing to let him sleep with us (gasp!) but he wanted to sleep in his crate.  He loves it in there.

I'm a sucker for that puppy smell. 

Christmas Day snuggle fest at the Harvey house.

  Riding in the car to get Starbucks.  Paw inside Adam's vest.  He's getting big!

The most recent picture of Scout. Sleeping at my feet while I type this!