Well. We’re here. It’s been a year today since we said goodbye to our beloved girl.
I’ve known and loved a lot of dogs in my life, loved them deeply. Scout was a rare being; magical, funny, loving, sassy, so intelligent that it was unnerving at times. She looked at you and you felt that an old soul, wise beyond anything you could imagine, was looking deep within you.
We had the gift of her presence in our life for 16 years. She moved across the country with us. She lived in three different houses. She was up for anything, loved adventures, loved people. She was filled with joy.
She gave lessons on how to live life daily. Be in the moment. Feel joy. Love everyone and everything. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you want. Love unconditionally.
I miss her so much.
Our house has been missing her, as well. There’s an emptiness here that underlies all the daily activity.
Oh, she was a beauty, truly the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen.
I can’t say anything more. It’s too hard. And I’ve said so much about her over the years I’ve been blogging. You knew her well.
I love you Scout. We love you. We miss you every moment of every day. Thank you, sweet girl.
I’m tired today. I didn’t sleep very well. And I have to leave for the city this afternoon because we’re getting a big old winter storm and I need to be at the first day of rehearsal for Anastasia tomorrow. Since I don’t want to start this job with a call saying I’m stranded in upstate NY, I’ll spend the night at a hotel. (An extravagance for yours truly.)
I finished A Gentleman in Moscow last night as I read in bed. (That may be part of the reason I couldn’t get to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.) I didn’t want it to end and this morning I found myself rereading the last few pages. What an extraordinary book. Read it if you can.
Happy Wednesday.
My heart is with you both today. We grew to love and appreciate Scout’s rare gifts thru your words and pictures here. Thankyou for sharing her with us.
Thank you, Nora.
My thoughts are with you and Don today, and I hope that all the wonderful memories of sweet Scout help sustain you through this day of remembering and longing. Safe travels today, Claudia – I am glad you are on the road ahead of the storm. xxoo, Martha
Thank you, Martha.
Many hugs for you. :]
Thank you, Brae.
I understand your loss. My Molly has been gone 3 years now. I will always long for her. Hugs to you both.
Thank you, Carolyn Marie.
Thinking of you, Claudia; I know how you feel – we lost our girl “Violet” in April 2014 and I think of and miss her constantly. Scout was a beauty inside and out!
Through all of this turmoil and unsettling times, I wish I had a dog again – just for the comfort she brings. My husband promised we could get another after two years, but it is now almost three – life has been busy, but I am hoping this Spring that we will add a new family member.
Thank you, Tisha. I feel the same way – I wish I had a dog to cuddle.
A dog can certainly attach herself to ones heart, I know. My thoughts are with you today and with your beautiful girl. Safe travels.
Thank you, Shanna.
Thinking of you and Don today. I understand what you are feeling. Safe travels today.
Thank you, Kathy.
The loss of a beloved pet is so hard. Sending hugs to you and Don today.
Thank you, Debbie.
sweet words for your sweet scout on a bittersweet day (bitter for the longing; sweet for all the happy memories and for knowing she is happy, healthy and safe in the best place ever).
love that third photo of scout, so sweet and cozy … and there’s nothing like a sleeping animal, is there?!
hope you and don can do something special today to honor your girl and take care of yourselves. and know in your hearts that some day you will all enjoy a beautiful reunion.
i am glad you could get ahead of that storm. hope you travel safe, enjoy the city and the treat of a hotel room.
kathy in iowa
Thank you, Kathy.
I love this post about your Scout. What I truly love about dogs is how each of us feel the same away about their dogs as you do about yours. I think I had the very best dogs in the world. Aren’t we lucky to have had these dogs in our lives? And I think that the very best dogs in our lives are waiting out there right now to be in our lives right now. I just can’t go there yet, but I know I am missing out on these blessings called “Dogs”.
Me too. Thank you, Tana.
Hugs to you, Claudia…..this is a beautiful tribute to Scout…….these days are the hardest, but I know you’re comforted by many happy memories of Scout…..hugs to you…… safe travels tomorrow, Claudia… this storm is looking like a whopper….we’re already hearing of cancellations.. Take care!
Thank you, Francine.
Thinking of you and Don today. Be safe while traveling Claudia. xoxo
Thank you, April.
Sending peaceful thoughts your way. She was a sweetheart.
Thank you, Sylvia.
I am glad you have these excellent pictures of Scout. They make me love her and I didn’t even know her the way you did. She will always be in your heart. I am sure that she knew how much you loved her and loved you back just as much or more.
Thank you, Beverly.
Hugs to you and Don. The pain is so cutting and deep. We lost our 10 and 1/2 year old boxer, Ace, a year and half ago. Some days it is still hard to breathe. My family cannot live without a dog, so we have a 10 month-old boxer puppy, but Ace was my soul-mate (however, I do love our new guy, Finn). It is hard. And, yes, yesterday was hard for me; I have been teaching high school for 32 years. What has happened to our country?
P.S. I do think that is telling that our current president does not have a pet.
I think that it is better for pets of America not to have to live in this White House.
Yes.
I do, too.
I’m so sorry, Tina-Marie.
Thank you.
I am sorry too for you and Claudia. Hugs!
Thank you, Tina-Marie.
Be safe as you travel. As I was reading your post, I was wondering if your (shared with many) grief over November’s results might have been mitigated by if you had still had Scout in your household. Dogs live so much in the here and now that they remind us to do so, too.
It wouldn’t have taken away my grief, but she surely would have been a comfort to us. Thank you, Linda.
Tears! She was beautiful and her soul was in her eyes. I know how much you and Don miss her. She truly was magical. I share your pain and know we each have such special memories to carry us through this. Be safe in your travels. Know I’m sending love and light to you and Don.
Thank you, my friend.
Frankly, I didn’t even want to witness your pain, today.
It’s too deep.
But, I did.
I’m here.
<3 XO
I’m glad you are. Thank you, Aunt Lou.
She was your sweetheart…and still is. She captured your heart, and through your words, she captured ours. My thoughts are with you and
Don today…may you find peace. And safe travels this afternoon! ;)
Thank you, Donnamae.
Hugs to you both.
Thank you, Chris.
The other night I was up taking care of my daughter and remembering a cat who was so sweet and kind to her from the day we got him. I was remembering how he protected me from big dogs, and played a game with her. When I got back in bed, he was there, his purring actually tickled. Not bad from a cat who passed away about 25 years ago. Love lasts way past death. Your beloved dog is probably right there with you.
Thank you, Jan.
Claudia, I was 16 when I lost my first pet and I STILL grieve for her – 44 years later. So I understand completely what you’re feeling today – and will always feel. Grief is the price we pay for having these wonderful, giving, loving creatures in our lives. Sometimes I have the feeling that whatever placed humans on this planet also placed dogs and cats [other animals too] here to be companions to us. And hopefully there’s a world beyond this one where all the animals we’ve loved, and who’ve loved us, are waiting for us. Scoutie, Riley & Winston will certainly be there for you. 💔 Peace. #Resist
Thank you, Janet.
Thinking of Scout, Don and you. How fortunate you were to have each other for all those years. My home resonates with the sounds of my cats who have passed. And I sometimes get a glimpse of them as they run across my path. I hope memories of Scot make you smile today, even wistfully. Safe drive to NY.
Thank you, Wendy.
Scout was a gorgeous pretty girl.
I love her white & black coat & those big eyes. Oh my, she
was a very stylish beauty.
Actually, her coat was white and auburn – those spots are a beautiful reddish brown. Thank you, Monica.
She was certainly beautiful. I know the feeling – had many pets in the past but “Goldie” our mutt dog was beloved by so many. Such a kind soul/Be-ing. I love your blog and often look at your instagram account. I just now followed your “twitter” account.
Thank you, Sandy.
I’m coming up on a year without our Justice. I do know how you are feeling, as anyone does who has loved an animal and been loved in return. I said her name out loud last night and with heartbreak watched Howie jump from my lap and search the living room for her. Damn
Some days are just stay in pj days. I’m having a lot of those lately. Safe travels and great rehearsals.
Thank you, Suzan.
Anniversaries are hard… thinking of you today…
Thank you, Val.
I knew this post was coming and I could try to imagine how hard it would be for you to write about Scout (who, to myself, I always called Snow Princess once I got to ‘know’ her).
How I love to see her dear head on a pretty pillow. I always feel better, as a person, after I’ve made my dog as comfortable as I can in the house, with her blankies, her toys, water bowl, a doggie biscuit and, yes, her pillows to bank against (dog lovers understand these things but it’s also of course a very human thing to want to make better, give comfort; soothe and reassure; LOVE).
Claudia and Don, deepest sympathies on a loss still too fresh…
And, Claudia, how wise to get out ahead of the storm; hope you sleep well in the hotel room tonight. How do you know where to stay? It’s such a megalopolis.
Here in SoCalif today, dreary and gray; drippy. In what was to be a dry winter, we’ve gotten a fair share of rain. Lucky. Being greened up (except for maybe a nanosecond), every direction you look, is something we’ve not known for such a long, long time in a very long, long drought. I hope when you and Don are in San Diego, you’ll still get to experience a green landscape rather than a moonscape although, clearly, you’ll always have the seascape…that big, beautiful, blue ocean.
Thinking of you…
How
I don’t know how the “How” got the end-tag of my comment. Sorry for the typo.
xo
Thank you, Vicki.
Such a lovely, lovely post in honor of so beautiful a companion! We who did not know Scout, nonetheless have echoes of her in your words, and in the depth of your love for her, which speaks volumes. My heart goes out to you and to Don, who carry her memory forever between you. She is imprinted on your soul, and that is a blessing, although a blessing experienced in the pain of loss today. For all of the times you turn a corner and catch a glimpse of her in your mind’s eye, she walks with you still, and you honor that today.
Peace to you as you begin a new play. It all sounds quite invigorating, and I hope it will provide the distraction from ‘the world’ that we are all looking for these days.
So happy to know that you enjoyed Gentleman from Moscow. It has become one of my litmus test books, as in “Have you read this? Did you like it?” as a way to discover a kindred spirit through reading. My son asked for it for Christmas, and I tore through it so that I could wrap it for him by Christmas Day. It has stayed with me.
Peace to you on so hard a day–
Leslie
Thank you, Leslie.
My thoughts are with you and Don today. I miss Scout too; I always loved the posts about her antics. I’m praying for safe travels for you.
Thank you, Dottie.
Oh, Claudia, I feel for you and Don. I know how much you miss your Scout and how very special she was. My prayer is that every shelter/rescue dog, cat, etc. finds a home just like the one that Scout, Riley, and Winston found with you and Don. There could not be a happier ending than that for those awaiting their forever homes.
Thank you, Donna.
Thinking of you today as you remember Scout. Hugs. So happy you are getting to work on Anastasia on Broadway – woohoo!
Thank you, Karen.
Dear Claudia
I must tell you that seeing S cout’s photos made tears run through my face above all the first one.T hose eyes! I remember her each day as I visit you.I loved her as well as Riley too. Senior dogs touch my heart deeply.I miss her too.I always hoped to see her adorable face on reading your posts I must confess.,This month is hard for me too since on 25 th is i the fourth anniversary of my sweet Charito ‘s death , my last doggie .I miss her so much! She was my shadow always following me wherever I went in the house and your words touched me because as Scout her look penetrated my soul in such a way it made me think what a stange and strong relationship we had between us. I want to send you a big hug and kiss and don’t be sad she’s with you every moment of your day!
xoxo Alicia Buenos Aires
Thank you so much, Alicia!
How could you not love a dog with a beautiful heart on her side? I met her and she was special. And she loved you and Don as much as you both loved her. Everyone was lucky in this trio of love. Animals exist to remind us what true love and devotion is. They enrich our lives. They never judge. and they never stop loving. Sweet dreams, Dame Scout. Watch over us and protect us.
Thank you, Tina.
We miss you Scout and think of you today with your mom and dad.
Say hello to my babies Nash and Mister Mcconauhey who are in heaven with you. Have a nice run and play with them today. But watch Nash. He can be a bit snippy if he doesn’t get his way.
Hugs to you and Don today Claudia. Safe travels.
Thank you, Belinda.
I understand. I am thinking of you and Don today. I’ve lost many beloved pets over the years and most recently my dearest little dog in November. My heart is broken, but I do still feel his presence at times. I hope you still feel Scout with you. She was a most beautiful and intelligent girl. I enjoyed reading about her on your blog. I know how much pain you are in without her. My heart aches for you and Don too. I miss my beloved little dog so much I can’t put it into words, so I totally empathize with you.
Thank you, Lily.
Claudia,
This is my first chance to check in and say you and Don have both been in my thoughts and prayers today on this most difficult day. She truly was a beautiful soul.
Thank you, Kim.
My heart is breaking for you and Don. Scout was such a beauty, I so miss hearing about her…. I can’t believe it’s been a year. Sending you both a big hug.
Thank you, Sherry.
Thinking of you both today. Scout was a beautiful girl and I certainly understand the way your heart misses her so deeply. We all grew to love her through all the moments you shared on the blog. She will always be with you with all the beautiful memories, stories, photos and experiences.
Thank you, Sandy.
I truly miss her too Claudia…I love to visit your blog as always but it just feels like something is missing…Her sweetness..her smiles..her happy dance..her pounce…her joy at going in the car with Mom and Dad…and most of all her cute little blogs when she would write to us…Scout could always make me smile and her memories still can..as always…thank you for sharing her with us…
Thank you, Nancy.
Can’t believe it’s been a year. Hugs….
Thank you, Debra.
I’m so glad you and Don were Scout’s world. What a gift for Scout, and for you and Don.
Thank you, Anita!
Scoutie, you are missed beautiful girl.
xo
These anniversaries are just heartbreaking. There’s a broken heart club that many of us are members of — we feel for you 100%. Scout sure was a beauty.
Thank you, Jay.