The Scout Master

          As posted below, we had a tragic experience with our first ever dog, Ellie.  When we came home from vacation our house was empty.  Even though we had had Ellie for such a short time, we became dog people and our home became a dog home.  Elaine, the wonderful woman from New England Lab Rescue, was very understanding of what happened to Ellie and said she would find us another dog.  She sent out a kind e-mail to all of her contacts explaining what had happened and that she was looking for a good, family-friendly lab.  She got a response immediately.  There was a dog named Scout in Maine looking for a new home.
          Toby and I talked a lot about whether we should get a dog right away or not.  After much thinking time, we decided it would be best to get another dog settled into our home and routine before we both go back to work full time.  We called Elaine who put us in touch with Heather, the founder of New England Lab Rescue, who was fostering Scout.  The next morning, we got in the car and headed for Maine.
          Knowing we were getting a new dog gave us a purpose and a light at the end of the tunnel to head towards while we were grieving for Ellie.
          The second we met Scout, it was like he knew we were there to adopt him.  He put his head right in our laps and made us fall in love with him instantly.  We seemed to fall in love with us pretty quickly, too!  Heather was so kind in giving us the beginning essentials for life with Scout and we were soon on our way back home.  He was a trooper in the car and came into our house without a problem.  He is a little snuggle bug and loves attention.  He also knows when it's time to lay down and chill out.  Because of what happened with Ellie, we are super careful and he stays in a crate when we're gone.  He does great in the crate!  
          About Scout:  Scout is a true rescue dog and survivor.  He and his sister were found by an elderly woman tied up under a trailer in South Carolina.  Having an apartment, she couldn't take them in so she drove 30 miles a day to feed them.  When she realized no one was coming back for them, she called a rescue place.  They took them in, neutered/spayed them, gave them all their shots, and prepared them for a trip up north.  Apparently black dogs don't get adopted very often in the south :-(  Heather had Scout for about a week when we contacted her, and she said he was one of the top 10 dogs.  He's about 9 months old and is just purely awesome.  
          Toby has been able to bond with Scout because he was on vacation last week when we got him.  With Toby's work schedule changing soon, it will be nice to have a companion in the house.  We have started letting him roam the yard when we are there watching him, and he does well.  Like I said, he's a snuggle bug!  He sleeps on the bed with us and we spoil him rotten!  Although we are still so sad with what happened to Ellie, we now have Scout and we are in love with this little boy!
          Here are some pictures of our handsome boy:
          In the car on the way home from Maine:

           Here he is playing with his new bone he picked out with Toby:

           Such a beautiful dog!  You might notice the lumps on his elbows.  Those are from laying on concrete for long periods of time before he was rescued.

He is such a well behaved dog!

           This is one of my favorite pictures of him.  He is so photogenic!  He loves playing out in the yard!