Scout – A Rescue Story
Scout spent the first three years of her life on a chain, hungry, neglected, and hopeless. When her family brought her home in December 2018, she was a traumatized dog who growled at strangers, couldn’t walk on a leash, and had rarely experienced kindness.
Over eighteen months, Scout transformed into a beloved companion: the “Guard Shep” who protected her family, made friends with everyone she met, the dog who loved making snow angels and holding hands with her people.
Then came the diagnosis: degenerative myelopathy, the canine equivalent of ALS. Incurable. Progressive. Fatal. Most dogs live 9-12 months after diagnosis.
Faced with Scout’s inevitable decline, her family made an extraordinary choice to enroll her in a groundbreaking drug trial at the University of Missouri, hoping their loss might help save future dogs. What followed were six months of trips to Columbia, physical therapy, acupuncture, bourbon and stick time in the backyard, and the countless small decisions that define how we say goodbye.
Scout is a memoir about rescue and transformation, terminal illness and quality-of-life decisions, and the fierce love that makes us willing to endure anything, even the unbearable, for the ones we love.
About The Author
Paul Bush lives in Wichita, Kansas with his wife, Pam and their dog, Abbey. Scout was the third dog to join their family, and the one who taught them the most about love, loss, and the impossible choices that come with both.
When Scout was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy in 2025, Paul began documenting their journey, not just for themselves, but for the next family who would face this diagnosis and wonder what to do. Scout is that documentation: a roadmap, a companion, and a testament to the fierce love that makes us willing to drive nine hours round-trip every three months to help save the next dog.
Scout – A Rescue Story is his first book.