Scout's Big Test

Eleven months ago we adopted our little dog, Scout. She was a shelter dog out of Indiana, who had passed through a number of homes before she landed with us. It became apparent why she had a hard time finding a home. She peed on everything, including our bed, our guest bed, and when she visited my sister Lisa, peed on her bed. She was like a lawn sprinkler. Scout also had an urge to chew things. Mark's glasses, my shoes, Mark's shoes, the television remote, pillows, blankets, and just about anything loose around the house. She tore the bottom part of the sofa completely off and dug a hole through the foam rubber in the same sofa, presumably looking for a place to bury her latest chewed up treasure. Scout was a terror. But I gave her the benefit of the doubt, knowing that she had been in a shelter, and been in a couple of foster homes. She needed structure in her life. I do know that for a short while she was adopted by an elderly couple, but she terrorized them too and they had to give her up to Cairn Rescue USA. Which is where Mark and I come in. Seriously, Mark suggested on more than one occasion that we should send her back. I said no. In my youth I had a couple of terriers who I did not do right by. I was in my twenties and I did not know anything about what it took to have a dog. To this day I have guilty thoughts about the little black terrier that I returned to the Anti Cruelty Society after two years. So no way was I ever going to give up on a dog again. I am so glad that we didn't give up on Scout. She is a sweet and beautiful little dog. No more peeing, no more chewing, no more problems at all. In fact, she and Mark have become close buddies, much closer than I thought they would become. Now it is time for Scout's real test, the big final exam. Today I am going to take her with us to visit Mom. She cannot pee on Mom's floor. She cannot chew anything up in her house, and there will be no leaping into Mom's lap. There can be no running around the house like a crazy girl and no barking at Mom's Hoveround®. I'll let you know how that turns out.