An Ode To Scuppers
Description
Ten years ago, in June 2015, my husband Ethan and I packed our lives into boxes and drove from New York to Florida. We left behind the cramped apartment housing on the hospital grounds where he’d completed his medical residency, heading south to be closer to my parents. My dad’s health was failing, and Ethan—knowing how much family meant to me—didn’t hesitate to make the move. Our two rescue cats, Marley and Rory, made the journey with us. They were our “babies,” and I’d carry them around in a papoose, showering them with affection. I love all animals, including cats, but my heart has always belonged to dogs.
Within a month of settling into our new place—a home with a sprawling yard perfect for running—we found ourselves at the local dog rescue, searching for our new best friend. I’d expected to fall for a shepherd-type dog (my favorite, though as they say, my true favorite breed is “rescued”). We walked through the entire facility, passing countless gorgeous pups in need of homes. I wanted to take them all.
Then my cousin Alissa texted: Check inside. A special dog was being held there—all his siblings and even his mother had already been adopted. That’s when I met him: “Big Red,” a wonky-eyed Australian Cattle Dog-Pit mix. When they brought him out to meet us, he sprinted across the grass and leapt straight into my arms. That was it. Game over. Scuppers rode home on my lap, drifting between sleep and kissing sessions, his sweet puppy breath working like a magical elixir. We were whole.
We named him Scuppers after the sailor dog from the children’s book—he bore a striking resemblance to that adventurous character. At our rental, he held his own with our landlord’s two massive boxers, Diesel and Turbo, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with despite being the newcomer.
When Ethan took a position as a traveling physician, many nights found just Scuppers and me at home together. He became my shadow, my confidant, my protector. Less than a year later, we bought our first home and welcomed our first child, Dylan.
