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The Story of Scout

The Story of Scout is a lot of things... It could be a story about tragedy, addiction, or mental illness. It could also be a story about resilience, survival, and hope. This story could travel several states and include hundreds of people–with both brief meetings and long loving encounters.

The Story of Scout is as rugged and changing as the scenery of Highway 90 heading west.

For the purpose of this post, I will keep it short.

Scout was born in the plains of Montana. He is an Australian Cattle Dog, Dingo, and Shepherd mix. He was bred from a long line of family cattle dogs. His owner’s name is Clay Curtiss. With a tall stature and handlebar mustache, Clay looked like a real cowboy, not the gussied-up kind I’ve seen in Nashville.

Scout and Clay came to us about two months ago, responding to our ad looking for skilled labor. I was skeptical of Clay at first; he had a quiet and nervous way of talking. It seemed like he could speak on too many subjects for too long, like he was trying to be extra friendly and liked by all. Scout is a big dog, with an imposing stature. Scout and Clay were a package deal; one could hardly separate the man from the dog.

As I got to know Clay, I began to also understand Scout. They were both nomads, moving around the country from job to job. They are both extremely skilled workers, with almost a genius level of knowledge floating around in their DNA. Clay had an unparalleled gift of knowing how things work. He understood advanced mechanics better than most specialized performance centers. Scout would watch Clay travel around our yard from item to item as he fixed everything in sight. Scout is a highly intelligent working dog, capable of running over 10 miles a day at 34 miles per hour. I was told that he can ride on a tractor as well as on a horse. He can even sit on a bar stool and drink a beer from a cold mug.

As time went on, I began to create my own ‘Clay will fix it’ list of tasks. Kyle and I became excited to have him working with us. As we got to know Clay, we realized how very integral he could be to the success of our company. Brilliant and strong, Clay felt like the missing puzzle piece to our lives. He was going to help us build our dreams–our house and business from the ground up. I reverently thanked him one night, falling just short of telling him that God brought him to us.

It soon became apparent to us that Clay was struggling financially. Life had served him more misfortune than opportunity the last few years. He was living out of a friend's trailer in Jeddo, MI, and would occasionally sleep with Scout in his Jeep. We began allowing Clay to park and sleep in our driveway. He sometimes slept in our unfinished house with Scout next to our wood stove. Kyle and I began looking for permanent housing for them.

We then started including Clay in our lunch and dinner meals every day. Clay saved a portion of his meals and fed it to Scout as a treat. Scout got a huge bag of premium kibble, and we had plans to give him a working dog’s vest. I started to see optimism in Clay and Scout. We all enjoyed our new little family. I began joking with Kyle that we adopted 'a Clay’ and a dog. It brought me comfort and joy to see them running around our property together in the mornings, excited to start the workday.

Tragedy struck our family on November 4th. Kyle lost his best friend and father that morning. Clay quickly picked up the work slack and offered us sage wisdom and support. In an impossible time, Clay spoke directly to our hearts and lightened our load. It was as if the divine spoke through him...

Clay was no stranger to loss himself. If you looked closely, you could see pain behind his cool blue eyes. He expressed missing his home in Montana and his children a lot. The plan was to get him established with a home here and then send for his daughters to come live with him. It consumed his thoughts at times.

On the evening of November 5th, we got a late phone call from Clay. He was distraught because he had ridden with a group of locals to a restaurant, leaving his Jeep and Scout parked at a local pub. He told us that the group made him feel uncomfortable and alone, calling him an ‘outsider’. They appeared to have 'ditched' him late at night–stranded without a vehicle. Clay was laughing and crying while walking down M25 to come home to us.

Kyle immediately leapt out of bed and told Clay, “Hang on buddy, I’m coming to get you…” Clay said, “I’d rather walk and have a story to tell, I’ll hitchhike home.” Kyle said, “Well maybe don’t do that!!! I’m coming to get you, stay where you are.”

Clay said, “I’m hurting too right now, I miss my family and I just want to go home.”

Kyle heard the crash over the phone. Clay was struck and killed instantly. Kyle called me and told me to find Scout in Clay’s car at the local pub and to bring him home.

I went with Scout to the crash site instead and saw Clay.

Scout lost his best friend and father that night–Words cannot express the loss we feel. Why and when God calls people home is a mystery to me. We are still ‘unpacking’ Clay’s and Scout’s ‘story to tell’...

Since then, Scout ran away from our home once. He is grieving too. We found him injured and curled in a ball by the lake and brought him back home. If you would like to donate to us to help build a fence around our property, purchase food, or cover vet bills, here is a link. Scout and family thank you.