Ruby the Beagle was adopted by her foster family in '09 and lived with her "sisters" Chloe the Chow Chow and Phoebe the Poodle Mix, for 3 1/2  years.  She was the calmest of the 3 dogs and loved everyone.  She sought out new guests to her house to see if they liked dogs. She rarely found anyone who didn't, or didn't at least make an exception for her. 

Diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure in early September 2012, Ruby got less and less energetic until she finally passed away Oct 6th. She will be missed.

Ruby Gets Along with Everybody

Ruby has a new foster sister, Precious/Phoebe the poodle mix. The new dog is much noisier, livelier, and pushier than Ruby, but Ruby doesn't seem to mind. Ruby lets her steal her chewy bone (and takes it back when she finds it abandoned.) Ruby plays with the toys that came with the new dog, but not too much. . . .

<<<(Ruby the Beagle: too much stress?)

Come Meet Ruby and Other Great Dogs this Saturday in Arlington

Ruby--and Beckett, and other great dogs--will be at PetMac at PetMAC, 822 N. Kenmore St. Arlington, VA 22201 this Saturday, 10 October, from noon to two p.m.

Ruby's New Habits

Some of the things Ruby did when she first came to stay with us she doesn't do anymore, and some of the things she didn't do then, she does now.

Ruby used to hate sitting on the couch, and when I brought her up on the couch next to me, she would jump down. Now, it's her favorite place to sit, even when I am not on it. And she loves sliding up next to me while I'm reading a book, or on the laptop.

Ruby used to not like Milk Bones. Now she loves them.

Ruby used to not like peanut butter. Now she loves it.

Ruby used to hate the crate. Now she is fine in it (as long as our Chow Chow, or a human being, is in the same room with her) and goes in it sometimes on her own.

Ruby used to not respond to her name. Now I think she thinks it means, "Hey, you, come back here!" (But that works for us!)

(update 7 October) Ruby didn't use to run to the door, wagging her tail and barking when her foster "mom" and "dad" came home from work. Now she does!

COME MEET RUBY THIS SAT IN FALLS CHURCH

COME MEET RUBY AND OTHER GREAT HT DOGS

when: THIS SAT, 9/19, 12pm – 2pm

where: Wylie Wagg, 7505 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA

(http://www.wyliewagg.com/)

to learn more about Ruby, please go to her blog: http://rubythebeagle.blogspot.com/

Ruby Smiles!

Ruby is Crate-Trained!

We have been acclimating Ruby to the crate little by little. Chewy bones help. Last night we decided to close the door for the night. We figured that she has already spent several nights in the crate by her own choice, so this shouldn't be too hard.

Ruby came through with flying colors. Of course, our Chow Chow, Chloe, spend the night in the kitchen, too, on a bed no more than 2 feet from the crate. But still. . .this is big.

Ruby Asks to Go Out!

Ruby has taken to scratching at the door--a glass and metal storm door, so it doesn't hurt it--when she wants to go out. Our Chow Chow does it, and we showed Ruby how 2 or 3 times.

At first it was occasionally. But over this weekend, she has had an upset stomach, and she's asked to go out several times. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Meet Ruby at PetMac in Arlington Saturday August 8th!

Meet Ruby (and other great Homeward Trails dogs) at PetMac in Arlington Saturday, August 8th, noon to 2 p.m.

Meet Ruby at Wylie Wagg on Saturday!

Come meet Ruby and other great Homeward Trails dogs this Saturday, June 20, 12-2pm at Wylie Wagg located at 7505 Leesburg PikeFalls Church, VA (www.wyliewagg. com). This is the same shopping center as Whole Foods and a Starbucks, and across the street from Trader Joe's.

Ruby Went to an Adoption Event at PetMac on Saturday

But no takers. (Sigh.)

We really can't understand it. Ruby is little, and cute, and personally went up to each and every human at the event and sat in front of them staring at them with her big brown eyes until they petted her. I am not making this up.

She is still the happiest dog on the planet.

She is also very clever--the other day she noticed our sliding side door was open a crack, and nosed it open more. Then she took her big rawhide bone and dragged it outside so she could sit on the deck and enjoy the fresh air. When I noticed her out there, I could swear she was smiling.

Ruby's Spayed, But You Wouldn't Know She Had Surgery From Her Behavior

Ruby continues to amaze us with her cheerful, sweet personality. She was spayed on Thursday, but by Friday was already dancing on her hind legs for treats. That made me hurt just to think about it, but I guess Ruby is a fast healer!

We don't give out treats around here unless the dog is sitting, so Ruby has learned "sit." She gives lie to the old expression "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Ruby still likes walks, and she likes to walk beside you, not in front or in back. Walking 2 dogs last night attracted some attention from the neighbors, but Ruby loves everybody, so everybody gets to pet Ruby.

We also got her a new crate, a wire one she can see out of on all sides, and she has made it her den. She eats there, and takes her naps there, but she still wants to sleep near our Chow Chow at night. We have not been very disciplined about acclimating her to having the door shut, but we will start doing it more regularly this week.

Oh--Ruby decided she likes biscuits, after all.

Come Meet Ruby this Saturday in Falls Church!

Come meet Ruby and other great Homeward Trails' dogs this Saturday, April 18, 12-2pm at Wylie Wagg located at 7505 Leesburg PikeFalls Church, VA (www.wyliewagg. com).

Ruby is Learning Commands

When we first got her, Ruby didn't know any commands.

She now knows her name, and will look at you if you say it. She also knows "hurry up," which is code for "do your business because I want to go inside," and "let's go," which means "I am walking forward, and you should, too."

We are working on "sit."

Making progress

Ruby is getting used to our house and family, and she has started to play. When we got her, she was somewhat subdued, but her new mode is "scamper." It is great to see.

She has settled into her "go out and do your business" routine very well--she knows what is expected and does it. Then she gets a jerky treat when she comes in. Her accidents in the house are getting fewer--less than one per day.

Ruby likes the larger of our 2 crates to rest and sleep in, but it is soft-sided with zippers and she can open the zippers. She doesn't like the slightly smaller hard-sided airline-style crate at all. She can't get out, but she fights it and howls. So crate training is stalled; we plan to get her a wire-sided crate big enough for her and her water bowl this weekend and try that.

She and our Chow Chow, Chloe, are getting along great. Because Chloe likes to look out the front door when we are home, Ruby has staked out Chloe's bed when she is not there. The cat ignores Ruby, and Ruby watches the cat walk by but doesn't do anything. She is too happy on Chloe's bed!

Ruby will still let you pet her as long as you have time for her. If I sit on the floor, she comes over and leans against me. If I move, she moves, too. She is very sweet.

Ruby Goes to Her First Adoption Event

Ruby attended an adoption event last Saturday at Wylie Wagg in Falls Church. There were two other beagles there, one about her age, and a younger one, so beagle lovers had a selection to visit with.

Ruby, of course, loves everyone, and had a good time meeting all the other dogs and all the people. One girl, about middle-school age, spent a lot of time petting her and walking her, but it turned out she was just missing her dog in India and was not in a position to adopt. Ruby didn't mind though!

The other thing that Ruby liked was that Barbara, the organizer, kept coming through with treats. Ruby doesn't care for biscuits, and proved it by spitting them out when she got hold of them. But she really loved the jerky treats, and did a little happy dance on her hind legs when offered one.

We also got her a new halter at Wylie Waggs, which you can see in the picture. We picked red, to go with her name.

COME MEET RUBY THIS SAT IN VIENNA!

Come meet Ruby and other great Homeward Trails' dogs this Saturday, April 18, 12-2pm at Wylie Wagg located at 7505 Leesburg PikeFalls Church, VA (www.wyliewagg. com).

Ruby Loves Everybody

Hi--I'm Karen, Ruby's new foster mom. We've had her for just a week today. Here's how she is doing:

Over Easter weekend, Ruby got to meet three new people, and a new dog. She was a champ all the way around--as far as she was concerned, they were just friends she hadn't met yet. The dog was a 4-lb
diva of a Pomeranian, but pretty soon they were taking naps next to each other on the floor.

Ruby is coming along nicely on crate training. She has her beloved fuzzy pad where she sleeps right in front of the door of the crate, and she goes in and out--just because she can. Once a day, we tempt her in with shredded cheese in the back corner. We tried peanut butter, but she won't touch it! (Whoever heard of a dog that doesn't like peanut butter?)

Another unheard-of trait of Ruby's: she hates to sit on the couch, and will jump off if you put her there. It's hard to tell if she hates *our* couch--it's leather--or if it extends to all couches.

And she loves being brushed!

Ruby Moves In WIth Permanent Foster

Ruby now lives with Karen, who will be her foster until Ruby finds that special home. Ruby, champ that she is, has settled right in.

Karen is finding everything Em, her temp foster said about her is true - she is such a sweet gal who loves attention and craves to be pet. And she gets along fine with the resident dog. She's now living with a cat too - Ruby would love to play with the cat but the cat is having nothing of it. Ruby doesn't have a mean or aggressive bone in her.

Karen has discovered tho that true to her breed, Ruby will use all her skills to hunt down food - Ruby displayed her ability to open kitchen cabinet doors and capture a box of cereal. Luckily, she was found out and the cereal box got live another day. It now sits on a higher shelf! LOL!

Ruby is getting better on the leash and is making big progress on the housetraining front. And she's learning to love her crate.

Meet Ruby the Beagle

Meet Miss Ruby! Saved at the last minute from a high kill shelter Homeward Trails tries to help, she has settled into her temporary foster quite nicely. Ruby is 8 years old and 19 pounds. She is very calm and completely non-reactive to her foster mom's own dog, who is queen of the house!

Ruby is just looking for a wonderful home that she can snuggle up with you and watch some t.v., and just maybe share a bite of popcorn or two.

Here's what Em, Ruby's temp foster says aboaut her: when I first got her, she didn't know what a leash was, and every time she felt pressure from it, she would crouch down to the ground and not move. Now she just trots merrily around, going this way and that, and generally responds to the leash, although still, every now and again, she'll try to lunge in another direction - with a little work, she'll improve on this too but then, she is only 19 lbs. Ruby is a really easy dog - she's also just adorable and a love-bug.