Scout’s journey to his happily-ever-after began long ago, and far away. Not in another galaxy, of course, but for the now-three-year old hound mix, it was nearly half a lifetime ago. And the Red Sky Animal Rescue in Indiana is pretty far away–more than 350 miles from Cleveland, in fact.
Scout’s story doesn’t start out very happily. When he arrived at Red Sky in spring 2016, the beautiful Bluetick Coonhound was not only skinny and malnourished, he had a dislocated hip, suffered when he was hit by a car. The kind folks at Red Sky provided him with surgery and fourteen weeks of daily physical therapy to restore the use of his leg. While he was there, he became an award-winning rescue dog: He placed second in a grooming competition at the Indy Pet Expo. Even with that accomplishment under his … collar, he wasn’t finding his “furever” family in Indiana. So, at the end of 2016, Scout climbed aboard the Canine Express, and headed to Cleveland.
The Canine Express Transport Project uses a network of volunteers to transport shelter dogs from areas with pet overpopulation and kennel overcrowding, to shelters, including the Cleveland APL, that are better able to find homes for the dogs like Scout.
In January 2017, the APL veterinary staff performed a second surgery on Scout, to stabilize his knee. Then, he needed five more months of physical therapy and lots of TLC in the home of two APL foster families. Finally, on June 1, 2017, Scout was ready to be adopted! After more than a year, how much longer would he have to wait to find his furevers? Exactly one day. That’s when he met Nick and his family, and claimed them as his own.
Nick, his wife and three kids already had two cats and a dog, all of whom came from the APL. And while some would think a house of eight was, in fact, enough, Nick’s family disagreed. They came to the APL hoping to find a buddy for Ginger, their energetic Lab mix. They met Scout, and knew he was the one.
Scout, who now is called Barley, has become Ginger’s constant companion. The two love to romp in the yard, howling at the squirrels and the birds. And, Ginger, who used to occasionally try to dash out from the yard, has made fewer escape attempts. Is it because she’s so much happier with Barley in the family? Or did Barley tell her about the tribulations that could await outside her yard? Either way, they now are content to hang out at home, playing with the kids and each other. Not that Barley has become a pushover. Nick laughs as he describes the stare Barley gives anyone who sits in his spot on the couch. Barley holds that stare ‘til the trespasser moves, and gives him “his” seat. Then, he settles in with a great, noisy sigh, comfortable, enjoying the perfect end to his very long journey home.
Information about the Cleveland APL
To meet the adoptable animals at the Cleveland APL, visit our adoption center in Tremont at 1729 Willey Avenue in Cleveland or our PetSmart Charities® Everyday Adoption Center in the Parma PetSmart® store at 6870 Ridge Road. To view all of the animals who are waiting for loving homes online or on your mobile device, visit
www.ClevelandAPL.org or download our free adoptions app on your iOS or Android device.
Our Facebook page is called “Cleveland Animal Protective League”. Here is the link to it for your reference:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cleveland-Animal-Protective-League/29396512928
Our Twitter handle is @Cleveland APL. Here is a link:
https://twitter.com/ClevelandAPL
Carmen Rey
Cleveland Animal Protective League