The Happy Tails Duo – Atticus and Scout
Darby and Mark were chatting one evening in July, reminiscing about their 13 year old yellow lab, Scout, who had passed about 5 months earlier and was Mark’s BFF. Mark recalls the many questions being asked/discussed. “Do we want another dog? Are we ready for all the responsibilities? What breed do we want? Do we want a puppy or an older dog?” Mark decided that Google would have all the answers to their questions. “Scout’s girlfriend was a Golden Retriever, named Nala. OK Google: “Golden Retrievers for sale near me”. Press: ‘ENTER’. Low and behold, GRRMF, shows up in the search. Press: ‘CLICK’. As I scroll down the adoption list……out jumps “Atticus and Scout”. Did I tell you my BFF was named SCOUT? OMG! Is this a sign? An Omen? Hmmmm, the plot thickens.”
“The more we read about this bonded pair, the more we wanted these two and clicked the link to adopt. Oh my…so many questions to answer on the registration form. Weeks passed with no response. Hmmm, did I forget to hit the ‘Submit’ button or mess something up answering all those questions? Better send a follow up email. Woohoo, we get an answer……our request is in the que. Another week or so goes by….the Board has met and they think we may be the perfect match for Atticus and Scout. Awesome! Next hurdle, the inspection. Once again, we pass! Now we just need to schedule the “Meet and Greet”. Done – our M&G is in two weeks. Now the fun begins.”
“Oh no – Darby’s having second thoughts 
about two dogs and if the Queen is not happy, no one in the castle will be happy. So, the King and Queen have a round table discussion and decide to cancel the adoption request. One quick text… and its done. Two miserable days follow and Queen Darby can’t stop thinking about those two sweeties and declares she has changed her mind (which woman do, a lot). “I can’t sleep at night so we need to cancel the cancel!” OK, are you sure?, barks the King. “Yes, yes!” begs the Queen. The “cancel the cancel” text is sent. God save the Queen……. So we load up the family for the trip to Sarasota, Florida. After a two one-half hour drive, it is love at first sight! After an hour or so of filling out more paperwork, and offering up my first male born, (did I mention, I have all girls?), we load up the new family, and head back home to Orlando. Yee Haw, boy howdy!”
“New family means new expectations. We’ve never had two dogs, let alone two rescue dogs. “Double your pleasure, double your fun. Doublemint, doublemint, doublemint gum.” Oh yeah, we have two cats as well, and five turtles. What were we thinking? But believe it or not, the transition has been quite easy. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we’ve had a few challenges, but nothing we can’t manage. Pups and kitties are now ignoring each other for the most part. Unless the kitties run through the house, then it’s game on. Toys that run…..WOW, thank you so much, Mom and Dad.”
“The pups now have new nicknames. 
Attikisses (he gives lots of kisses and is a Momma’s boy) and Scoutie Max (she looks and acts just like Max in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”). Each has unique personalities and as their time in this new family tics on, new habits and quirks emerge. Atticus loves to walk between your legs to get rubs on his head or butt. He’s a Great Pyrenees/Golden blend and each breed is quite evident in his manners. He is very protective of his flock, and very loving of everyone who enters his territory with his permission. 
Our little Scoutie Max is a hoot! She may be half the size of Atticus, but holds her own in tugs of war and is a stingy little girl with all the toys. Her motto: What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine. At night, she goes on the prowl, collecting gifts to present to us on our bed every morning. Toys, socks, shoes, underwear, just to name a few, which can be embarrassing to our teenage daughter.
Attikisses and Scoutie Max have been with us since August. Are they spoiled? Duh. Have they spoiled us? Duh squared. All our lives, two legged and four, have changed for the best. Our family is once again whole. If vacuum bags were a stock commodity on the Dow Jones exchange, we’d be millionaires. We fill a new bag at least twice a week with dog hair, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. Thank you, GRRMF, for believing in us!”
