On the Homefront: Remembering Ruby (2007-2023)

Ruby when she was four years old.

I think this is the hardest post I have ever had to write.  All of my animals have been special, but Ruby was the dog that chose us, and she showed her gratitude to us for taking her in all of her life.  She first came in to our lives early one morning when I was out walking the two rescue Dalmatians, Diamond and Gia, that we had adopted the previous year.  Ruby came out of nowhere and started to follow us.  The two Dalmatians were not happy and Ruby kept her distance, but she stayed with us for the whole walk, even though I kept encouraging her to go home.  When we got to our property and she followed us down the driveway, I finally turned to her and said "Okay girl, I will take care of you."  As if she understood, Ruby came up to the house and settled on the outside door mat as if relieved to finally have a place where she was welcomed.  I gave her food and water, and later took her to the vet where she was treated for ectoparasites and given a thorough examination.

Initially she was found to be underweight but healthy, and they were not sure if she was spayed.  About a week later we found out she was not, and scheduled her for the operation.  The day before that date, her right eye began to swell shut.  A quick return trip to the vet revealed a cracked back molar that was so infected the right side of her face was beginning to swell.  She was started on antibiotics and the next day in addition to being spayed she had the broken tooth removed.

Ruby with her Dalmatian sisters, Gia (left) and Diamond (right), and my husband.

From that day forward she began to thrive.  She gained weight and her lackluster coat became softer and shinier.  I initially thought she was a low-energy dog, but her lack of energy was obviously due to the tooth infection, because as soon as that healed her high-energy terrier nature emerged.  We decided she was a mix of the two most common dog breeds in rural Georgia, the pit bull terrier and the "feist", the local name for a rat terrier.  It was a joy to watch this dog run - she had the rat terrier ability to bound into the air and literally hang there for a while to look around before landing again.  While she was overly energetic around other dogs and could be a bit quarrelsome with them when she became older, Ruby loved every person she ever met.  I have never known a dog to be so trusting of people, and this despite the fact that she was probably not treated well by people before she found us.

Ruby with Madison.

Ruby was very attached to me and never forgot that I was the one who rescued her.  She would do anything for me, and rarely did anything that I did not approve of.  She loved riding in the car with me, even if it was only to the vet.  She was 12 years old when we moved from Georgia to New Mexico and had never been on a cross-country car ride before, but she and our other dog Madison did surprisingly well.  I waited until October to move, assuming that the weather would be cooler and make travel easier, only to end up driving for over four days in the hottest October I have ever endured (over 100 degrees for the first three days) in a car with very inefficient air conditioning.  I was so proud of my girls - they traveled so well, and even rode an elevator for the first time without a problem!

 

 

 

Ruby in her favorite room in our New Mexico house - the kitchen!

Once we arrived in New Mexico, both dogs had to learn to adapt to the very different environment, learning to avoid walking on spiny plants and confronting coyotes, getting used to all of the unpacking and rearrangement of belongings, and then enduring life during the pandemic.  Ruby had a few health issues after we got here, including having a malignant tumor successfully removed from her elbow and getting her digestive issues under control (she had picked up Clostridium perfringens in Georgia, which infects the intestinal tract and cannot be eliminated, only kept under control by lifelong low-dose antibiotics).  Even so, she was remarkably healthy for an old dog, although eventually her arthritic elbow got so bad that she could no longer go for long walks.  I had her on a daily routine that she loved and tried never to vary it, which really helped her live a stress-free and comfortable life that she loved.

My husband took this photo in 2021 - just two old gals snoozing on the sofa together.

Only recently did her health begin to decline significantly.  The last few months she had several bouts of pancreatitis due to a compromised liver, and she was not able to recover from the last bout.  Letting her go was so hard, but I knew it was time, and the vet hospital did an excellent job making her last moments comfortable.  My husband and I were there to support her, and we made sure she knew she was loved and was resting peacefully before we let her go.

One of the last photos I took of my beloved girl.

It has taken me days to write this rather rambling tribute to my wonderful, beautiful, beloved Ruby.  I still miss her so much, and even now cannot stop grieving every day.  There is a big hole in my life without my Ruby to fill it, but I will be forever grateful to have had her with me for 15 of her 16 years.  I will never forget you, my sweetest girl, and I hope that one day I will be with you again.

 

I love this photo of my Ruby - it is one of the few that I have showing her in alert mode with her tail up and ears perked.