Our Ruby

I haven’t given a Ruby update for a while and I’ve had a few friends inquire about how she’s doing. She’s actually been doing fairly well. The swelling and irritation in her ears has finally gone down and the black goo from the antibiotic cream the vet had given her is slowly growing out from her gorgeous fluffy white coat. She’s not had any further sinus issues (knock wood) and the crusty skin around her nose appears to have completely healed. She looks good!

I wonder if her hearing is beginning to go now. If I let her outside and call her later on to come back in, if she’s not facing me, she acts as if she can’t hear me calling her. Even if I am only a couple feet behind her, she’s oblivious, staring off across the street, waiting for the neighbor’s cat to dare to appear for a good bout of mad barking, to some unknown end. Maddox could really care less and takes his time perusing the flower beds on the hunt for moles and chipmunks. Yeah, bark. Whatever. Maddox is all cool attitude. That really sets the dogs off. Tucker is sucked into the drama as well. Silliness. All bark, no bite. Maddox is unimpressed.

Ruby spends most of her day sound asleep with her head hidden under my bed. Perhaps the bed hinders her hearing when calling her for dinner. It seems lately she needs gently woken and reminded it’s time to eat. She slowly, arthritically lumbers down the hall to the kitchen and plops herself down heavily in front of her bowl, lazily munching kibble and pumpkin. Then, with great effort, lifts herself up to make the return trek to under the bed. Some days if that seems too far, she’ll detour to the livingroom and curl up at the end of the loveseat in front of the heat and a/c register. She knows the good spots! Soon enough she’s snoring contentedly, dreaming doggie dreams of thick cut steaks and cats that don’t taunt on opposite sides of fences.

My Ruby girl, my heart. She’s not giving up without a fight. I love you Boo!