Happy Birthday to Roo!

Today is our pup Ruby's fourth birthday! I know everyone has an opinion on dogs...dog people, cat people, no pet people. And to each his own! Us? Well, we're none of those...we're Ruby people. Along with her copious shedding (yuck!), adoration of crotch sniffing (yuckier!) and her need to constantly shadow us (not yucky, but annoying!) comes a lot of love, devotion and sweetness. We sure love our Ruby girl! We got her from some dear friends of ours, Beth and Larry Brown, who had purchased her from a golden retriever breeder when she was just six weeks old. Much to their sadness and surprise, their daughter was terrified of the little puppy (whom they had named Bella). If Bella was in the room, Madison wouldn't leave the couch (she has since mostly overcome her fear of dogs). They weren't sure what to do!

Nothing had been decided, but Adam and I had been talking about getting a dog. We had recently moved from the world of home-renters to the world of homeowners and felt a dog would be a fun addition to our family. We had both grown up with pets we loved. We thought we'd go to a shelter to find a dog in need of adoption that "fit" our family. We were looking for something short-haired, medium sized, lightish in color. But after hearing that the Browns could not keep the puppy and having met her (she was adorable!), we thought again. Long-haired, total shedder, would grow to be on the bigger side of the size thing...oh well! :) We told them we would take her if they would like us to.

We picked her up that afternoon after church, and Bella became ours! It was Mother's Day...a perfect gift! We decided to change her name to Ruby to match her red fur, but her full name is "Princess Rubybelle of the Silver Firs" to honor her royal title, the name given to her by her first family, and the neighborhood of our first home.

In the beginning it was a little rough. We called her "613" for awhile because that was the amount in hundreds of her first vet bill. Long story short: she had barfed a couple of times, I panicked and took her to the vet, the vet was fresh out of school and had to run EVERY test imaginable, she was perfectly fine (just a little tummy upset)...need I say more? She also once got into a poopy diaper...I was pregnant with Luke...oh! It still makes me gag! And when we were trying to sell the house she ate a used pee-filled Pull-Up training diaper. All I can say is: thank goodness my parents have a steam vac! She wasn't too upset about her two-week long scrambled eggs and rice diet following that event. Good thing she doesn't remember how she got that diet to begin with or I'd have to hide all the Pull-Ups!

But she's mellowed out in her "adulthood" and even with those stand-out stories, she's brought us incredible joy. She loves being a part of the family. She actually gets quite upset when she feels she's being left out! And we love including her in all that we can. It's hard to imagine not hearing the jingle of her collar or the clop of her nails on the hardwood all the time. I love her presence and her special Rubyness!
To celebrate Ruby I thought I'd post the ten things we love most about Rubybelle!

1. Ruby is LOYAL. She loves us all, especially her "parents," Adam and I. In fact, when it comes to Adam she would rather mope and whine than be separated from him. Just the other day, while Adam was out of town, the running dishwasher made a soft hum like the garage door does when it opens. You should have seen her bolt for the door! She couldn't wait to see Adam walk through it! I felt so badly that it was just the dishwasher. She's great with the boys, even the babies. Which leads us to....
2. Ruby is TOLERANT. With five human brothers she has to be, doesn't she? She never snaps at the boys, instead she'll just move along if she gets annoyed. It surprises me how much she takes before deciding to leave! We make sure the boys are gentle with her and never let them hurt her at all, but they do use her as a pillow to lay on (the big boys) or a step stool to the couch (the littlest). And she just chills. She's a great teaching tool for treating animals with kindness!
3. Ruby SMILES. She really does!
4. Ruby loves the OUTDOORS. She gets winded pretty fast at this altitude when I take her for a run, so I usually have to do a lap around the block with her and then bring her home. But she really enjoys our hikes, especially if there is water involved! She reminds me of a long sinuous sea serpent when she goes jumping through the water or snow...it's a crack up!
5. Ruby is HELPFUL. When there is food dropped on the ground, she's the first to help "pick it up." :)
6. Ruby has a BROKEN NOSE. You hear about what a great sense of smell dogs have...not our Ruby! She can't sniff out her tennis ball if it is a foot away from her! It's quite funny. But this little quirk just endears her more to us.
7. Ruby is CLEAN. Yes, she sheds, yes, she's a dog, so she's outside a lot...she's not clean in those ways. What I mean by "clean" is that she doesn't get into stuff like some dogs do. Eeeeevery once in awhile I see a little trail of trash coming from a tipped can, but that is so rare!
8. Ruby POOPS in a very specific area of the yard. We don't have to go hunting everywhere for clean-ups; we just look around in her spot and voila! We're done scooping!
9. Ruby is a CHICKEN. When we first moved to Colorado, a man came to hook up the washer and dryer. He had a deep voice and spoke loudly...and she hid behind me the entire time he was here. Really?! She's also scared of the vacuum and the broom. But I think if she ever needed to protect us she'd step up. When she sees something she doesn't like out the window she will give a little warning growl and on occasion a loud bark. But that's another great thing about Ruby: she rarely barks, only if she's worried or playing with another dog.
10. Ruby is PLAYFUL. Ruby loves to play fetch (until she's so tired she stops bringing it back). Another favorite is "chase me and take the ball from me;" we grown-ups don't like that one, but the boys indulge her in it. She's also a great wrestler (she's very gentle) and has some signature Ruby-style moves! One of them is to turn around and push/bump you with her bum. Hilarious! She doesn't get walks nearly often enough, especially when it's cold, but Adam's always sure to give her a good pup wrestle almost daily.

Happy Birthday Ruby Girl! We love you!