We adopted Ruby the last week in February 2020, just before the Covid pandemic. We adopted her from a rescue organization that takes in dogs found as strays. We were told that Ruby was found on the front porch of a house during a very cold day in Alabama. She had a puppy with her. The rescue team named the two strays Dolly and Dixie girl. We changed Dolly’s name to Ruby. She looked just like a gem to us.
Ruby is a mix breed…Corgi, Beagle, Collie, Chow and more!
We are learning to see things from her perspective so this is what we imagine she would say if she could speak.
RUBY’S PERSPECTIVE……
I will look at you when you say Ruby, but do not expect me to come to you. I need to watch and sniff you first. I might growl or bark if you approach me standing up with your hand over my head. Please make yourself look small then I might walk up to you. Once I get to know you and if you ignore me, I might lick your toe or even sit next to you on the sofa.
I like to chase sticks and things that rush by me. I can jump high. My guardians look so pleased when I jump. Mostly, I want to keep my nose to the ground and follow smells wherever they take me. I am so glad that my guardians have learned to let me wander around and sniff rather than drag me along a straight line wherever they want to go.
My prefered place to walk and sniff is Howard County Conservancy. I still do not like to walk in our neighborhood. There are trucks, large lawn mowers and loud tree branch eaters on our street. There are things that scare me in our neighborhood. I wish I could tell my guardians exactly what makes me fearful when I walk on the sidewalk. I don’t mind when my dad guardian carries me while they walk on the sidewalk. I am glad my guardians give me treats when we walk outside. When I do a trick for a treat it takes my mind off the scary emotions I am feeling.
One of my favorite places to be is in my guardians’ bed at night. In the picture with me on the bed, I am a little nervous. The white part of my eye is visible, that means I am a feeling nervous. Usually, I feel a little nervous in the morning because the routine is a little different each morning and I know I need to walk outside to go to the bathroom.
My guardians took me to a Behavior Vet. I was diagnosed with FAS (Fear, Anxiety and Stress). My guardians give me medication to help, but the best thing that works for me is Scent work. I need to work so I love to search for treats hidden in towels, boxes and containers and even the blanket my mom knitted for me (see photo). I also, like to do tricks for treats. I am proud of my Christmas photo 2021. Here I am doing a “sit pretty” for a treat.
Here I am resting on my activity blanket after searching for treats for about 15 minutes. I feel like I have walked for one hour. I hope to have videos of me doing scent work and tricks on this page along with more thoughts from my perspective. For now, check out my first video on YouTube.
Our Garden Plot 