Scout

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=316725590294&l=4844399404018816331

Scout was born in late 2009, probably some time after I turned twenty-four. He died today. He was four years old.

I sometimes go back to my old Livejournal, which turns out to be a terrible site and nearly impossible to navigate. But I'm pissed off at myself that, after moving my journal to this new location, I mostly gave up on really using it as a space to talk about my life. Sometimes I note what books I've been reading. Sometimes I post other things. Mostly, this space goes quiet. And there's so much I've wanted to say. There was so much I could have written, but didn't. It's been a year since I graduated from the University of Washington. I was going to make a big post about the experience. I hasn't happened yet. Back in the old Livejournal days, buried somewhere in 2006 (I think), there's a post I wrote when Blade, my brother's dog, died. That dog was seven years old at the time. Blade was euthanized, as he'd been very sick with terminal prostate cancer.

Some time after Blade died, my brother, Josh, got another dog: Token. That was in 2008. Later in the year, my mom got another puppy, which she named Chief. And then there was Scout. I moved to Seattle for school, then moved back. I thought that if another dog died before I moved out again, it would be Asiak, who is 13 and has health problems. She still might go before I leave. But I didn't expect it to be Scout, the youngest.

He was always sneaking into trash cans and hoarding trash under the living room table—napkins, paper plates, empty dog food cans, and such. At some point, recently, he must have swallowed a plastic spork from a school lunch that my mom brought home from work. He got sick last week, but my mom didn't notice at first because Asiak had diarrhea too, and when she realized it was Scout, she thought both dogs probably caught the same illness. Then he kept getting worse. He couldn't move. This morning, I helped my parents load him into a car and take him to the vet. They found that he had a fever. They were going to do some diagnostic work and then get back to my mom so she could figure out how to proceed. My mom was crying when we left the room. I tried to comfort her and such. She didn't want to leave her dog while he was so miserable. That was the last time I saw him. At some point they contacted my mom about seeing the plastic on a radiograph. There was going to be surgery and he'd probably stay the night in an animal hospital. For some reason (I didn't hear exactly what happened) Scout didn't survive the surgery. I got a phone call from my dad that Scout didn't make it through surgery and was "deceased." That's the word he used. Not a word I hear much, but I guess it's exactly the word I'd expect my dad to use in that situation.

Oh, I have some pictures of Scout...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=269616680294&l=502f327989
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=269616685294&l=44ca5a650a
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=269616690294&l=bd2ae24abd
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481160280294&l=8c4052890e
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481160335294&l=1fb825a261
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481160410294&l=eb5612cee5
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481160510294&l=5dd8f83375
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353756690295&l=357452a0f3
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353756925295&l=531d54e8a9
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353756970295&l=41222bb458
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353757610295&l=a13427b2a6
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353759690295&l=00e2cf76af
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353760315295&l=6942dfed44
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353760930295&l=32276e99b1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353761145295&l=fd65e1d044
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353761880295&l=2b7af73ccb
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353762235295&l=c9439c2451
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353762330295&l=b0239e5816
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353762380295&l=32c17f3b9a
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353762615295&l=c69657770b
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353762705295&l=ab3a2dab79
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353764040295&l=33ea5d1895
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736250295&l=d807325509
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736295295&l=4407a101fb
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736355295&l=803ad554e5
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736410295&l=1cf14d2c8a
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736480295&l=088a916abf
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736555295&l=936a56b94b
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736665295&l=7047999649
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736785295&l=7fea680d95
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736890295&l=2103e7bb09
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353736975295&l=2fda6cae0f
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737030295&l=54d1b9cfcd
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737090295&l=9cfffa485b
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737165295&l=478693283e
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737310295&l=01fd76fd50
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737380295&l=ba3331d0f7
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737525295&l=4413da683f
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737840295&l=2409c3a021
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353737950295&l=0ad4e27b41
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738005295&l=dfc4617579
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738050295&l=dbf563c75c
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738150295&l=d802aee5cc
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738220295&l=dc313fb00c
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738425295&l=2a8423947c
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738545295&l=bfa6e820e1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738700295&l=aa49aa8571
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738740295&l=6133b71fb7
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150353738835295&l=1b9788bd62
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801776410295&l=9c5f7304ca
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801776740295&l=529a8a7015
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801783030295&l=61e8ed2d73
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801783250295&l=ac4ed9705a
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801784055295&l=0d01c3a571
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801784340295&l=18ad81c800
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801784635295&l=94bc479376
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150801784725295&l=7a9148fa9d

Well, that's a lot of pictures. He was my fluffy teddy bear, so shut up.

And I'll write more here in the future. Very soon. No, really. I can do better. I'll do it for Scout.