As I sit here with the giant puppy at my feet, it is hard to believe that she is already 6 months old. That's right, the big birthday was last week. I celebrated by being away. She celebrated like she celebrates every day of her existence.
- Chase the cat.
- Eat.
- Chew up something I'm not supposed to have.
- Get yelled at and feel very bad for a short time.
- Chase the cat.
- Annoy the bulldog.
- Eat.
- Sleep.
- Chew on a bone.
- Run very fast circles around the house...outside AND inside.
- Sleep.
- Eat.
- Lay on the couch.
- Chase the cat.
- Eat.
That's pretty much Ruby's typical day.
Her growth continues to be steady. At this writing, she is 66 pounds and 26 inches tall at the shoulder. A 'Ruby Hug' puts her eye level with me. Her legs are exactly the same length as my arm from armpit to the tips of my fingers. She is eating 6 cups of food a day. In the next six months, I expect that to taper off a bit. But I've been wrong about food since the beginning, so maybe it'll go the other way. She can't fit under the bed any longer. I found this out when she got scared of a bad thunderstorm last week and wormed her way under there because I wouldn't let her get in bed with me. Then proceeded to whimper and whine and 'woof'. And each time she 'woofs' she bangs against the bottom of the bed, shaking the whole thing. I dragged her out after awhile and just stayed up with her until the storm passed. It was hard to get her out and she hasn't been back under since.
I've been leaning on the teenage boy a lot for puppy care. He is awesome with walks and attention to Ruby. They get along well. Have also been utilizing doggie daycare twice a week on non-kid weeks. It works out well for everyone, especially Ruby, who now has a million four-legged friends. The only downside is that now she thinks every dog she meets is a playmate and exhibits her excitement by doing the Jack Russell jump and whining and barking. Kind of annoying, I'm not gonna lie. Still, her social skills have improved as a result of daycare. And they love her there. She's just a big goof.
Shortly I am taking her back to Petco to get the next size up choke collar. The one that said it was for dogs from 40-100 pounds lied. It barely goes over her head now. The next size up seemed ridiculous before, but is probably about right now. Her behavior on walks has been better. She spies a dog/rabbit/bird/cat/squirrel and stalks before she leaps, giving me enough warning for a verbal command before I have to brace myself for the burst of speed. She's pretty choosy on when she defies me. There has to be some real possibility (in her pea brain) of catching whatever it is now. I think she's just getting more mature and learning that some of it isn't worth her time.
I left her last weekend for the first time, on the aforementioned Florida girls' trip. She did fine, got in little trouble, and didn't miss me too much. But boy was she glad to see me. Ruby was at the front door and nearly came through the screen when I pulled up. She shows the same level of excitement when I pick her up after 10 hours at daycare, however. We will be leaving again in a few days, with the teenagers in charge. Will be interesting to see how she does. She doesn't find trouble nearly as quickly as she used to, but she still finds it.
Outside, we are really needing a fence. Ruby has gotten very comfortable with her surroundings and has begun wandering farther and farther from her boundaries. And if a rabbit is in her sites, she's gone. So far, she always comes back. But when we get back from vacation, it may be time to start the fencing, even if we do a section at a time. I don't want her to get a bad reputation in the neighborhood. I've tried a tie-out, but she hates hates hates it. Whining and barking until it's easier to just put her in her kennel.
I guess it's time to wake her up and take her to Petco. Sorry again for the lack of posts. Vacation from Thursday to the following Friday probably means there won't be any new news until after.
By the way, I love this puppy.
All for now.
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