Sliding smoothly from Scott to Scout, he also glided gracefully from fostered to adopted.
Already acquainted with his foster sister Sophie, Scout and Sophie were two golden peas in a pod, and not only has she helped him with his ongoing anxiety, he’s reciprocated by being her best play buddy.
Possessive of his 3-inch bouncy ball, AKA Baby, his preferred form of “pacifier,” he carries it everywhere, eventually chewing it apart. While a ball can sometimes last for nearly two weeks, it’s most often destroyed within the first two days. Fortunately for Scout, his mom keeps a steady inventory of his special balls. He, in turn, keeps her in smiles by the way he plays with Sophie — keeping his ball in his mouth, he’ll wrestle and then move his ball across her.
On the other paw, Scout’s brother Leo is very calm. Taking notice of this, Scout always approaches him with gentle sniffs and then engages Leo in play. He also loves going for walks with his fur siblings and mom, loves every person and animal he passes, and especially loves stuffed toys (he’s able to de-stuff any toy within minutes).
What he doesn’t love are cars whizzing by when he’s out for a drive, thereby limiting most of his car rides during the day. Currently, he’s able to go on two-mile rides to a quiet park setting at night thanks to some Trazodone, a calming cap and a lick mat with peanut butter. But he’s been steadily improving with the help of his soothing mom, the calming techniques she’s learned, coupled with copious amounts of love, playtime with his siblings, his ball pacifier and positive reinforcement.
On a more upbeat note: when Scout finishes playing with his ball outside, he’ll race to the dog pool, step into it and dip his face and his ball in the water. The result: he and the ball emerge much cleaner than they were before!
