Scout Reflecting

George-2
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

I love this dog.

Hey Scout,

George-1
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

Will you watch Georgie while I just run upstairs real quick?

Happy Birthday Scout!

Happy Birthday Scout on Vimeo

Scout's Birthday on Vimeo

Every year on MLK day, we celebrate Scout's birthday. Sure it's not the same date every year, but Scout doesn't know any better.

On Martin Luther King day 2003, I took off from work early, and Sally and I went to the Anti-Cruelty Society to pick out a dog. We quickly narrowed it down to a litter of five dogs in the top row of cages near the entrance. Four of the five puppies were dark brown, and looked like chocolate labs. Scout was unique among his siblings - colored like a german shepherd. We took Scout out of his cage to get to know him, and he hid underneath a bench. Despite his furry charm, we weren't completely sold on him until we set him back into his cage. As soon as we shut the door, he wet the entire cage, and we knew he was a considerate dog. Considerate and unique.

Because of the shelter's policy to neuter dogs before allowing their adoption, it wasn't until the next day that we actually got to pick up our dog. In the meantime, we tried out different names. We tried Flash, Fletch, The Nose, Navin R. Johnson. In the end, he just seemed like a Scout (although some have attributed his name to an attempt to derail Sally's effort to name a human child Scout). When we got his tags, we labeled them "Scout C. Gulde."

The total cost for obtaining this dog was $105.00: $55.00 in fees to the shelter, and one $50.00 ticket from the city for overstaying our meter. Considerate, unique, and economical.

Four years and two babies later, Scout has been a constant in our household. He makes our lives better in every way but one: we could do wihout the shedding. Regardless, here's to our dog. May he find dog treats in unexpected places.

When Francis is asleep . . .

scout baby
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

Sally caught Scout cuddling with Francie's baby the other day. He's a good dog-brother, and typically he and Francis get along, but I don't think Francis would have handled this affront very well. Scout had the good sense to let the doll alone once Francis woke up.

Dog Shaving in Progress

shaved
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

Our dog sheds a prodigious amount of hair all over our house, ourselves, and our child. To battle the hair, we shave him.

Sally took Scout to the dog groomer today and just emailed me this picture. He looks happy.

Frozen Dog

December Fun
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

Sally and I sat down to watch Mystic River the other night. Just prior to starting the movie, I let Scout out to relieve himself. Watching Sean Penn in this role, I couldn't help but think of his character in Dead Man Walking - Matthew Poncelot. The two roles approach the concepts of vengeance and mercy in two very different ways. Both are provocative. I highly recommend both movies.

You know, I love movies. If you don't have kids yet, you should go see movies every night. Maybe two. It may seem like a burden, seeing multiple movies every night, but you'll thank me when you have kids and forget what the inside of a theater looks like.

Oh jeez, I left Scout out in the backyard for the whole movie. It was 138 minutes long. It's about 17 degrees F outside. Good movie, though.

Amazingly, Scout was unharmed after this chilly ordeal. I tried to make it up to him with treats, but I sense that he doesn't trust me anymore.

Click on the title above to see more snowy pictures and a few of Francis, whom I have never accidentally left out in the cold.

Get Your Laws Off My Dog!

dog park
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

One thing that Scout misses about living in the city is the opportunity to spend time with his dog friends. About fifty yards from our old condo was a blacktop that provided communal space for all the neighborhood dogs. It wasn't exactly legal to let them off the leash, but the area was gated, and off-leash dogs were common. The off-leash factor was the lure of the place, really.

In Oak Park, such de facto dog parks had sprung up over the years. Early on Saturday mornings, dogs ran free in Ridgeland Commons. Even though it wasn't exactly legal to let dogs off the leash, the village had agreed to look the other way.

Cook County finally cracked down on this practice. As Scout's terrible luck would have it, the crackdown happened on one of the few days we actually made it over there early enough to play.

A Chicago Tribune photographer was there to record Scout's disappointment. So when we opened the paper this morning, this picture was on the Metro page. Here's the story, if you're interested. We're not quoted, which is probably a good thing, given the choice words Francis had for the County.

Good Dog.

Go Irish! Beat Huskies!
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

Scout hasn't gotten much ink here lately. I need to take this opportunity to remind everyone how good a dog he is.

He knows commands: (1) sit; (2) stay; (3) lay down; (4) leave it; (5) spin; (6) shake (both hands); (7) whisper; (8) speak; (9) stand; (10) say hello.

He's handsome. Just look at the picture.

He's good with the baby. Sure, Francis gets her face licked a few times a day, but Scout puts up with a lot from her, too. Francis's method of petting the dog looks a lot like dog punishment. I will say, however, that Scout has picked up a bad habit since Francis has been eating real food. With the constant shower of food from the highchair, Scout is becoming confused about which food is his. He snuck half a sandwich off of the table the other day. We're working on it.

We've had Scout for almost three years. We joke about this a lot, but learning how to raise Scout had a positive impact on our raising Francis. Good dog!

IN OTHER NEWS

Francis has a new trick, too. If you say "scare me," she gives this wide-eyed, scary-mouthed look that is guaranteed to make you scream from sheer terror.

The Irish beat Washington, 36-17. Sloppy game. ND is going to have to defend the long passes if it wants to avoid a blowout loss or two this season.

Ever Wonder What Scout Would Look Like Shaved?

IMG_0013.JPG
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

The other day, Sally ran into a lady who was walking a shaved german shepherd mix. This lady shaved her dog because his shedding was the one thing that kept him from being the best possible pet. Apparently shepherds shed every single hair on their bodies twice a year. She's been shaving her dog for eight years, and would never go back to the constant sweeping up.

Scout also has a shedding problem. We don't like to talk about it. It's our dirty little secret. But this lady and her dog inspired us.

So yesterday, Scout had a date with the clippers at PetsMart. I am really pretty impressed with his new look. I was afraid that he would look like hairless rat-dog. Instead, he looks like a dog who just joined the army and got the required haircut. He looks sharp and put-together.

Best of all, he seems to like it.

MOVIE: Egg Suckin' Dog (click here to view)

Battle Royal
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.

To this point, we've done a pretty good job keeping the baby toys out of Scout's mouth and vice versa. We figured it was only a matter of time, however, until Francis and Scout showed interest in the same item. What we didn't expect was the epic clash that followed. Luckily, we had a camera on hand and were able to capture most of the battle.

MOVIE: Limbo Rock (click here to view)

Limbo Girl
Originally uploaded by Sally G.

What can I say? I didn't choregraph this... I just held the camera and Francis and Scout worked their magic. As it was unfolding I just kept thinking how this stuff never happens. You never have your camera on and in your hands when stuff like this happens. Again, what can I say? I'm so proud of them. In a psycho-stage-mom-kind-of-way. ;)

For still photos, click here.