This Week.

Ruby recovered nicely from her surgery and got her stitches out on Friday. Since then, she's been free to go for walks, chase cats and bunnies, and run crazy around the yard as much as she wants. She's found ample opportunity to do all those things, and more.



Here's me trying to take a nap. Nothing says restful slumber like 75 pounds of puppy on your stomach.








But when I get up, I get this face:
















On a nice warm evening last week, we had a few cocktails on the back deck. Ruby had her first taste of beer. She didn't hate it. But then she got distracted by a wayward bottle cap and lost interest.













Her growth is changing. She seems to be filling out, getting bulkier, instead of just continuing to get taller and lankier. Her feet get bigger and bigger by the day.
I did have to go out and upgrade from the choke collar. It just doesn't seem to matter to her any longer that it is pulled tight to the point that she can't breathe. And she pulls so hard when she wants to, that it nearly takes me off my feet. The boy wouldn't let me buy the prong collar. We tried a gentle leader, quite unsuccessfully, at Petco. After a few minutes of her writhing all over the floor, I went with this snazzy number:

It's what all the sexy dogs are wearing this year. Most importantly, I now have complete control over her. A big relief. I tried taking Sophie and Ruby for a walk together. That was funny.



I can't even explain this picture. I think it speaks for itself.

A long week

It has been a very stressful week around here. The kind of weeks that make us grateful for 8 days in our favorite corner of Jamaica.

If you are following this from Facebook, you are aware of the flesh wound I'm dealing with. This will be a short post because it is difficult to type. Not painful, but with only two working digits on my right hand, it is challenging. Aside from this drama, caused by a miserable shelter cat, Ruby has had drama of her own.

On Monday I had Dr. Burk spay her. As I said in a previous post, it was just time. When we go to Cancun in a week and a half, she and Sophie will be at camp for the whole week and at more than seven months old and fertile, she would not be able to play.

The surgery went fine, I got a call about 10:15 am that she was done and groggy, but otherwise doing well. And that she is officially 71 pounds. Geesh. We also had her microchipped while she was out. So she really got put through the wringer.

***sidebar*** 'put through the wringer' When was the last time anyone used a wringer? I'm guess anyone under 25 doesn't even know what one is. :)

I didn't want her to think I had abandoned her, especially after being gone for more than a week, so Allan and Jamie and I paid her a short visit after work Monday night. We brought her favorite bone, rubbed her groggy face, and left her alone. I picked her up then Tuesday after work and she greeted me like it was any other day after camp. Once the pain meds wore off, she got pretty quiet. She fell asleep in mid-chew.


And lays down funny to protect her belly.



After a few days, at about the time I got bitten by evil shelter cat, I noticed Ruby's incision was looking red and puffy. I called Dr. Burk and he said to get her an e-collar, or Cone Of Shame, as it is known around here, and keep some Neopsporin on it for a few days. He said 'She's not going to like it.' He had no idea.











We only kept it on her at night and when we weren't here, but she hasn't learned to love it AT ALL. The battle continued for about 48 hours, until just a little while ago. I put the Cone Of Shame back on her because she was licking her incision again. A few minutes later, I found this:



Ruby - 1, Cone Of Shame - 0.

She did go for a quick car ride earlier this week, I don't remember to where. But during the ride, neither Jamie or I noticed what was keeping her so occupied in the way back of the car. It started out as a box of tissues.



Also on the list of casualties this week, a roll of toilet paper, and Kevin's favorite flip-flops. Oh Ruby Sue. What AM I going to do with you?

Detox

I was greeted last night with puppy kisses, puppy head-butts, puppy whining, puppy scratching, puppy jumping, and puppy hysteria. Eight days away apparently felt like a lifetime to Ruby. I left her in good hands with the kids all taking turns with walks and daily care, but mainly with Allan and Emily splitting the week. They did an excellent job, house still standing, dogs fat and sassy. The cat is still here, so that's a downer, but I'll take what we came home to any day. When you tell people that you left your home in the primary care of two 16-year-olds, you get a range or responses. It is obvious that none of them have kids as great as ours.

A special shout-out to the boy, Allan for not only becoming Ruby's number one for 5 days, but for updating this blog as well. I think he did a fine job. I didn't get to see the blog until we landed in Atlanta yesterday, and got quite a chuckle out of both posts. The slug post explains Ruby's even greater obsession with objects on the ground. First bunnies and squirrels, then toads, and now slugs! My goodness she must think her world is an amazing place.

While my liver, my skin, the bottom of my feet, and my sleep pattern continue to detox today, so does Ruby. She always seems to pick up some rather annoying habits while I'm away.

This time it's 'I don't have to listen to Mom when:

• She says "GET OFF THE BED".'


• She says "GET OFF ME!" at 3am.'


• She says it's too early to eat and I should go back to bed at 4:30am.'


• She says "GET OFF DADDY!!" at 6am.'


• She says "SIT".'


• She says "HEEL".'


• She says "DOWN".'


• She says "SSSSSSIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".'


• She pulls the choke chain.'


• She pulls the choke chain REALLY REALLY HARD.'


• She tells me to stop racing through the mud.'


• It's time to get in the bathtub.'


• It's too early to get OUT of the bathtub.'


• It's time to stop racing through the house.'

We walked 1.25 miles this morning and it was a struggle until about the last .25. She is better behaved while in the house than outside. And she has not let me out of her sight, except for right now when I had Kevin lock her up after her bath (a direct result of racing through the mud in the back yard) because she was doing crazy puppy run and I'm afraid she's going to break something. Plus, during her psychotic dash in the back yard, she managed to cut one toe with the next claw over (which is not even long and in need of trimming) and it's bleeding, and I don't want to have to clean blood out of the carpet.

Phew. I missed her terribly, love her to death, but she's exhausting today! A couple of walks and she will get the hang of things again. It is wonderful to be greeted with such excitement and puppy love. I looked forward to that greeting all day, and I wasn't disappointed. I expected her to be bigger than she is. I don't see much change. At least I didn't until I realized she can look out the bedroom windows without stretching and has no problem counter surfing now. So I guess she is taller.

On Monday, Ruby will have her girl parts removed. I teetered briefly, thinking about having a litter of pups in a year or two, but let's face it, our life is crazy enough. When she gets past seven months, she will no longer be able to play at camp unless she has been spayed and that date is coming soon. I made the appointment before we left on vacation. Will drop her off at 7 Monday morning, and pick her up after work Tuesday afternoon.

Since I'm completely without new pictures of her, I'll leave you with a shot or two of Jamaica. And a guarantee to have new pix of Ruby soon.

Substitute

My performance evaluation, in Ruby's words:

I have to give Mom credit, the replacement she picked is smarter than he looks. I tried multiple times to get him to let me do things that Mom never lets me do, but he saw right through me every time. Things like:

I am allowed to tear apart my bed and run around with the stuffing hanging out of my mouth

I get fed every single time I scratch at the food box, no matter what time it it

Its perfectly alright to eat cookies off the counter

Mom always lets me bark at the bulldog at 2 in the morning

EVERY yard is my yard

No matter what I tried, he knew I wasn't supposed to do it. I think Mom must have left him directions somewhere. I must find and destroy these ASAP.

But now The Boy is leaving me! First Mom and Dad left, then Jamie, and now The Boy! I SCARE EVERYBODY AWAY!!! He tells me that Emily's coming to watch me for the rest of the week. Maybe she won't know about all those rules.

I MISS MOM AND DAD!

Mom Left Me...

Since Lori (Mom) is in Jamaica this week, she has passed me, the boy, the honorable position of blogger. This is my first time so bare with me. I'm still learning.

Ruby had to sleep in my room last night because Lori and Kevin left for Jamaica at 4:00 AM. When she woke up this morning, she was slightly confused about why Mom hadn't woken her up and taken her for a walk, but nowhere near as confused as she was when it was dinner and neither Mom OR Kevin had come home yet. Sophie is her normal mopey self because daddy left her. She spent all day laying on the floor staring at the front door, letting out huge mournful sighs every so often. Its pretty pitiful.

On a slightly less sad note, Ruby had her first encounter with the WORLD'S BIGGEST SLUGS! Sadly, I couldn't get the camera in time to get a video of her "taste test." Apparently, they are unappetizing. I'll take her word for it.

I don't typically get to freaked out by any varieties of creepy crawlies, but I must admit, when I stepped on one of these things by accident, I let out a very effeminate screech. I know better now.

AM I GOING TO MISS HER???

Ummmm, I THINK I am???



Gulp. Suuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrre...I'll miss her.



OK how could I NOT miss her?