May 25: Meet the Parents

Last Sunday Ruby and I took our last road trip together. Where did we go? I got to take her to her true-blue, honest-to-goodness HOME, at long last!

I’ve been getting regular updates from her new forever mom this week, and I think she’s summed up Ruby’s week pretty accurately, “Miss Ruby’s already got everyone wrapped firmly around her little twitchy paw.” Apparently she's been busy (I know, shocking but true). She’s been gathering all the toys on one of the pillows in the living room that she has apparently determined is “hers.” (I forgot to warn them one of her hobbies is to “relocate squeaky toys.” Oops.) If she’s not playing, she’s running laps. In fact, she’s been been running laps all week, stopping only to gather toys or the occasional tummy and ear rub. Other than that she’s not slowed down once (well, except maybe to sleep, but just a little). If the continuous wagging of her tail is any indication – she seems pretty happy about this new turn of events, then again when is Ruby NOT happy? She’s also relieved that the chairs there are also comfy for short naps, but as a bonus, her forever dad’s lap is even MORE comfy. He’s already taught her a new word, “Cuddle!” Loosely translated it means: Ruby jump up on my lap, then flop-down-and-roll-over-in-belly-rub-position…..all in the same motion. Yep, sounds like Ruby is truly being nothing but Ruby! She's also been showing off all the stuff she learned at school the last few months, and in fact she's going to start back up in agility classes soon, too!

Ruby’s new family includes two dogs and two cats. Her favorite brother and instant buddy is 1.5 year old Shaka, a rescued German Shepherd, also with a very rough start in life. Shaka LOVES to play with Ruby in that rough and tumble style she’s perfected over these many months. Shaka is MUCH bigger, but Ruby’s found a way to outwit him by running straight under his tummy. They are getting along famously. Doc, her other brother, is 18 and also a rescued Border Collie. Ruby is careful to be gentle and treat him with respect, and their favorite game is for Ruby to run circles around Doc, with Shaka running circles around Ruby. (Herding dogs, what can I say?) Ruby’s decided the two cats, Kazi and Inu are strange, strange creatures and mostly watches them with amazement as they do those odd “things” cats do. One evening, Kazi (who is, as I’m told, part “Tasmanian Devil”) got some bug in her kitty head and dashed around the house helter-skelter. Ruby watched Kazi bouncing through the house with a look of total fascination and bewilderment, and she kept moving around the living room to get a better view of the amazing show. Kazi finally came to rest on the back of the couch. Ruby decided it was best to give Kazi a wide berth for a while. Smart dog.

Ruby liked her new parents right away, and so did I. For one thing, they reacted to her twitch, not with pity as many people do, but instead with a bit of humor. They say it looks like she’s dancing and she’s got her own internal soundtrack to keep her groovin’ (we’re thinking it’s a hip-hop tune). If Ruby could talk, I’m CERTAIN she’d have exactly the same attitude. I was also impressed with the fact all of their dogs have lived to be ripe old ages, and they’ve made special accommodations to their home so the old-timers can continue to be happy, safe and an important part of the family. Doc is pushing 18 and he’s still treated like royalty. His body may not work like it used to, but he’s still their Doc at heart. He still goes on his special car rides with the window cracked. He still gets to sleep on the “big bed” with mom and dad because, “when you’re 18 you deserve to sleep wherever you well please.” Since he’s 18, his Border Collie jumping mechanism is a little rusty. No worries, he’s carefully picked up, all 37 pounds + fur, and put up on the bed, and then when he’s ready to change locations the 37 pounds + fur is carefully put back down again. Now THAT’S a home every good dog deserves, and that’s exactly the kind of home we wanted for our special little gem.

I’m not surprised to hear Ruby’s radiant personality, spunk and endless energy went effortlessly along with her to her new home. Admittedly she’s left quite a hole around our house. It’s strangely quiet, in fact! I haven’t had to rescue stranded and soaking wet squeaky toys from the backyard all week. There’s no rambunctious "trash-talking" between the girls the few minutes after I get home from work, their Kongs and squeaky toys jammed to one side of their mouths. Livvy, Sunshine and even Henrietta have been moping and wandering about the house, sighing and staring at each other as if to say, “Well this is dang boring, now what?” We’ll be a little out of synch the next few days without the Red-Headed Ring Leader to start up a tag team chase and wrestling match, or come “slide into home” just when I sit down on the couch with my morning coffee. But, as much as we miss her, we’re sure happy that she’s found the "job" she was truly meant to fill, and that’s being the one and only “Ruby D. Parker – Certified Professional Canine Wrestler, Comedienne, Fun Coordinator and Cuddlebug.”

BCRT would like to extend a special thank you to all of those who have donated to Ruby, from the generous monetary donations, and the other donations that have taken many forms: those who took special care of her at the shelter, those who relentlessly pushed to find foster home(s), those who helped/contributed to the giant garage sale, those who took her to the vet and watched her carefully when she was sickest, the doctors that treated her and refused to give up, those who provided "Ruby" sitting services, those who let her out at lunch to play, those who let her participate in training classes, and all those that otherwise showed her how nice a dog's life can be.

May 17: Spring Bark

Ruby's foster sister, Henrietta, had to perform a musical freestyle demonstration at an annual charity event called Spring Bark. While the performance was definitely not Henrietta's best, the day was still a wonderful outing for all "The Girls." Everyone got to go along for the ride and each of them got to do something special during the day. Ruby's treat was to walk around shopping with me, Pat and Rufus. Once again she was a real pleasure to have along. She was quiet, calm and well-behaved, even while nose-to-nose with oodles of strange dogs, lots of barking, people walking past and reaching out to pet her, and more than a few dogs lunging at her on their leashes. Ruby did not jump, bark, or strain at the leash, not once. She walked nicely beside us, and when we stopped to look at something she sat and waited quietly and ignored the advances of other dogs, all without having to be reminded! Of course the best part of walking around was getting to taste test the treats in each of the booths, and not to mention all the belly rubs and being told she's cute. What a ham.

I even got something special out of the day, too. The girls posed for a picture by the lake on the outdoor sofa, ALL of them! I FINALLY got all of them to be still and sit together, and it only took one take! I guess it helps that they were all pretty tired by this point....especially Ruby, she was ready to curl up and take a nap next to Sunshine!

April 10: A Good Friday

I decided today that Ruby deserved a very special trip to the beach. She gets to go lots of places with all of us, and she just loves long hikes, but she's always stayed behind for the beach trips. With all the birds, strange dogs, and cars I have always been uncertain that she wouldn't revert back to her old "wild child" ways when faced with all that sensory overload. But, today I think she's ready. I loaded just Ruby and Henri in the car and headed out with foster mom Pat and her youngest dogs, Star and Rufus. We walked for seven miles! Ruby had so much fun trotting along and checking out all the dead fish, seaweed and jelly fish. Ruby is not a fan of rain--not at all--so it was no surprise that she could not see the point in getting wet in the waves, either. She was startled by the waves at first, but we made a game of jumping the moving foam to go get a tasty treat, so she didn't mind getting her feet wet every so often. She's a bit more of a land lover, though, and had way more fun staying just out of reach of the surf, right next to Henri and Rufus. Ruby was allowed to walk in her harness and on her 20 foot long line. When she was well enough to go on walks last summer she was too wild to take on hikes on a long line and harness, she would run too fast and get too revved up at anything and everything. However, today, Ruby was excellent! She trotted along and would come to me quickly when I called her back in from the end of the line. She eventually preferred to trot along near us instead of pulling like a freight train at the end of her long line. She would calmly approach strangers to say hi (and roll over for belly rubs, of course). She watched cars pass, but did not chase them. Best of all, she quietly and calmly watched Star chase the birds. Last summer, Ruby could NOT handle other dogs running around, much less chasing birds! The mere sight of a dog would send her into a barking frenzy and a running dog would make her go wild on the end of her leash. But not today! She'd prick up her ears and watch, but then look back at me to see if I had a treat for her good behavior. She was definitely interested and could have easily tried to join in the game, but she worked very hard to keep herself collected and focused on the little random jobs I was giving her as we walked --- hand touches, downs, sits, spins, and a few seconds of heelwork here and there. She didn't bark or go wild once! She has come so far since last summer. In short, she was a pleasure to have along and was no trouble at all (even Henri agreed). The big photo above is at the end of our hike, just before heading home. Anyone up for seven more miles?

April 1: Foolin' Around

It has been a few months since I've posted an update on Ruby, but that doesn't mean there haven't been changes around here. Over the last three months Ruby has made great strides, especially in the dog manners department. Ruby has finally learned that she doesn't HAVE to play 24/7 with her other Border Collie sisters, Livvy and Miss Sunshine. She is now content to have a good wrestling match then stop the game on her own and go chew her bone, come inspect what I'm up to, or best of all come snuggle on the couch for a belly rub! The biggest news of all is that Ruby has learned how to play gently with her tiny Dachshund foster sister, Henrietta. Henri doesn't much care for Border Collie antics, especially the leg grabbing and and body slamming antics of Ruby. Ruby learned early on to ignore Henri and Henri learned to ignore Ruby, and they've done great with that strategy so far. But, one evening Ruby decided to invite Henri to play by scooting up close on her belly, laying her head on the floor and wagging her tail. Would you know, it worked! Ruby and Henri had a fun (but short) game of gentle wrestling. Since then, those two will play every so often and Ruby seems to be pretty good about keeping it calm and gentle. Ruby never grabs Henri's leg and she lets Henri do the body slamming! I'm very pleased that Ruby has learned to change her play style so that her companions enjoy the game. That has been a very hard concept for her to learn. I'm still careful about who she's allowed to play with, though, because she can get revved up pretty quickly. But her ability to turn "off" is a big improvement. In fact, I can't remember the last time I've had to separate her from the others so my dogs get a breather!

December 28: Footloose and Heartworm Free!

Ruby went to Dr. Bob's today for her 90-day heartworm recheck.  In true "Ruby style" she was certain to give everyone kisses and requested plenty of belly rubs. I'm happy to report that she's officially a healthy dog!

December 15: Graduation Day

Ruby had a big day today. She graduated from her basic obedience class with flying colors! In reality, though, she's "graduated" from more than just a class. In five month's time she's managed to fight her way through illness to arrive at the other side a healthy, strong, and spunky little scrapper who is happy every minute of the day...and is certain to make sure she ENJOYS every minute of her day!

And no, if you're wondering, it's not your computer screen or the camera, her coat really HAS changed color. She's no longer a sun bleached orange-red, she's a gorgeous deep mahogony (scroll down to July to see what I mean).

November 22: Thankful for a Soft Nose

Guess what I noticed this morning? Ruby no longer has a rough, sandpaper nose. Her nose is now soft and pliable, just like a normal dog’s nose should be! One more lingering side effect of the distemper has officially left the building. I thought her nose would remain rough for the rest of her life, so this Thanksgiving we are definitely thankful for “normal” noses.

November 10: First Day of School

Ruby is now healthy, but I’ve decided to hold off on her adoption for a few more weeks so she can get out and about on the town so we can see how she does in new situations. I also wanted to have some time to continue to work on her manners and her housetraining.

One of the hardest things for Ruby is to be quiet and polite when she sees another dog out on our walks. Ruby insists upon going to say hello, and if she is not allowed to go say hello, she makes sure everyone hears her talk about the injustice at the top of her lungs! When she was first able to go on walks, she would go into a barking frenzy and run circles around me if she saw another dog from all the way down the street. So, we’ve been working very hard on rewarding her for being quiet and sitting politely when she sees other dogs on our walks. Now she only gets excited once they are a couple of doors down, and she may only bark once or twice before she remembers to sit by me and wait quietly for her reward. Lots of improvement so far, but we still have a way to go.

I’ve enrolled her in an obedience class to help her learn to ignore and work around other dogs, and also help her learn to practice her good manners wherever she goes, not just at home. Today was Ruby’s first day of school. I was worried she would be barky with new dogs so close to her, but she was WONDERFUL! She was a very good girl and hardly noticed the other dogs; she didn’t even bark once. She was ready to work and was not the least bit interested in playing with the others. I don’t know why I was so worried. Ruby always seems to surprise everyone. Why wouldn’t this time be any different?

October 19: Adios Heartworms!

Today we celebrated an event we doubted might ever come. Today we celebrated a healthy Ruby!

Ruby has officially completed her heartworm treatment. She’s sailed through both sets of treatments, specifically all that crate rest (yuck!). For the first time in three months we took her out in public to do what Ruby loves to do most: RUN! (and wrestle). What a wonderful sight to be able to let her loose in the big fenced in field where she could run flat out, as fast as she can go. And boy is Ruby fast! When she’s standing still or sleeping, her front leg still twitches thanks to the distemper, but when she runs you’d never know she has a bit of the shakes. You’d never believe this was the same dog that only a little over three months ago could barely stand on her own, too. She can easily keep pace with Olivia, her Border Collie foster sister who is twice as tall, and she can tackle, jump and turn on a dime with the best of them. (All this after sitting in a crate for three months.) We knew Ruby is one tough cookie, but we had no idea just how tough she is. Even when she simply trots across the field she resembles a linebacker! She’s no longer skinny and lanky; she’s a solid rock now, the kind of dog that can get knocked down by an 80 pound goofy Lab and get right back up without so much as blinking an eye.

September 19: Dogs Love Mini Vans!

Ruby's already due for her second heartworm treatment next week, and surprisingly enough the month has passed quickly. Ruby has WAY more energy than any of us expected, so it's been a challenge to find ways to expend her energy but stay safe. Overall she's been a good patient, she's only taken out her frustrations on a squeaky toy once or twice!

I've been wearing her out by making her brain tired. She has to earn every piece of kibble she gets in a day (and Ruby LOVES her food!). She's always watching the household activities carefully, just in case there's a good chance she's going to get a piece of kibble or two. I've caught her more than a few times plopping her rear on the floor anytime I walk near her pen in the kitchen, as if to say, "Hey! Look at me, I'm sittttinnngg! Kibble please!" (of course it works). She's also been practicing sitting for petting, and this is truly her FAVORITE part of training time (no food, but there's PETTING, woo hoo!). She's getting the hang of "down" and "wait" (food involved here too). The biggest news of all is that she'll "wait" to eat her sardines until she's told, good girl! Ruby's also learning how to take a few steps on her leash and then sit nicely when I stop moving. This has proved to be a good game for her. She likes to bust out of her crate in a mad frenzy, NOT a good idea when you need her to be still and quiet! This way she gets to move around a little in a slow, controlled manner AND get food for it, too. It takes a few minutes to get to the backdoor to go out, but she really likes that sitting game.

The weather has been very nice lately, so Ruby has been allowed to ride with us in the car to go hang out in her crate with the hatch open to watch me train with the other girls. Ruby tends to bark when others are having fun, but all week long she has been very good and calm and quiet watching us work (yep, you guessed it, more kibble involved). I now have to coax her OUT of the crate in the car instead of worrying about her premature escape. By the end of the evening she's crashed out on the couch, snoring with the rest of them. She's a smart girl, that's for sure.

Fingers crossed the next month of treatment goes just as smoothly.

August 31: Sliding Into Home.

Ruby goes in to start heartworm treatment today. I hate to break up her fun and put her back into confinement, but we need to get rid of those nasty things sooner than later.

She’s developed into a little spitfire, to say the least. Her latest game is called “Slide Into Home.” This invention combines her two favorite past-times: running and belly rubs.

It consists of:

1. Grab a squeaky toy.
2. Tear around the house at warp speed (while squeaking and growling at said toy).
3. Run straight for me (while I'm sitting on the ground).
4. Then, at the last possible second, “slide into home.” (i.e. she simultaneously puts on the breaks and dives into belly rub position, into my lap, just before it appears she’s going to run into me at full speed!)
5. After a few seconds of belly rubbing, repeat steps 1-4.

She’s also learned to jump up on the patio chairs, but she has to do it carefully because her jumping mechanism is still a little rusty. She learned this in an effort to keep a close eye on the hummingbirds in the backyard. She figured out quickly that chasing and barking at them didn’t work very well, so Ruby devised an alternate strategy: poucing. The hummingbirds zoom along at grass level, from the bush, across the patio, then over the fence at the corner of the house. Ruby’s chair is in the flight path, and she has a good pouncing vantage point when she sits up there. (Don’t worry, her reflexes are pretty bad, the hummingbirds are safe….for now.)

August 21: Ruby’s Best Day Ever (So Far).

I think if Ruby could talk, she'd say that last night was the BEST night of her life (well, so far, anyway) Why? Dr. Bob believes she's not likely a danger to dogs anymore, especially healthy, vaccinated ones. So, Ruby got to do what she has been longing to do all this time: play! Ruby and my girl Livvy hit it off right away. They played from 7pm until I finally had to drag them each to bed at 10pm. They ran, ran, ran and ran some more. I was worried Livvy might be too strong and knock her over, but Ruby had no problem at all keeping her balance and giving as much as she was getting! I also put out the ENTIRE bucket of squeaky toys (a big event at my house). By the time it was dark, Ruby had taken EVERY single toy out to the backyard (see attached picture, the blur is Ruby, and that's about halfway through her "work"...) We ended the evening with a Frosty Paws for everyone just to celebrate. She'll need to go through heartworm treatment soon, so I'm letting her have some well deserved fun right now.

August 15: Walkies.

Ruby has continued to do well. She no longer has “bad days” or “bad afternoons.” Since the air pockets are gone and it's safe for her to move more, I’ve been taking her on short walks very, very early in the morning to help with her stamina. Who knows, maybe it will help her brain learn to compensate for her twitching so she can move without falling, too? At first she could only walk down a few doors before getting tired, but she was able to go farther and farther each day and can now take a good 15 minute walk (well, she mostly tries to RUN) without issue. She is now so full of boundless energy she needs a Gentle Leader to go for a walk. I can’t believe I’m happy about such awful leash manners!

Even if this is as good as she recovers, her nervous system issues at this point are very easy for her to live with….and she could easily live a very active life, too (I don’t think Ruby would have it any other way!) Considering that nobody could tell us if the damage would ever heal - or even simply improve a bit - this is a phenomenal development.

August 8: Soft Feet! Soft Feet! Soft Feet!

Ruby is a different dog. I noticed she’d been putting on weight and that her coat is now soft and the dandruff nearly gone. I was clipping Ruby’s nails tonight and discovered the best news of all: HER FEET ARE SOFT!!!! Her nose is still rough (that may never go away), but the fact that the pads of her feet are back to normal is very good news. Perhaps the virus is retreating?

Not only is her skin and feet improving, but so has her shaking. In fact, it’s improved so much that she can now RUN and pounce and shake squeaky toys and she can walk in a pretty straight line...all without falling. This is huge progress. Ruby attempted to run before, but always fell flat and fell hard. Now, she runs like a normal dog. She's even jumping up on me and running the fence at the next door neighbor dogs...hooray for bad manners!!! She still twitches, but I think the head bob is all gone now. Just within the last day or so, I've noticed she has some of her dexterity back and is not running into things, can stop on a dime, and can go from a soft to slick surface without falling. She still has a wobble when she moves at normal speed, but she can control it now and doesn’t fall nearly as often. The wobble tends to be worse when she’s very tired or still groggy from her nap.

August 4: Kibble on the Keyboard.

Ruby is doing VERY well this morning. I've got my other dogs blocked off in the rest of the house (they aren't happy) while Ruby is toddling around the studio as I do some work on the computer this morning. What a BUSY BODY….she's feeling GOOD. She's only come over for petting twice so far (no time for that today!) She's spent the last 45 minutes sniffing everything, hopping every so often (she's beyond happy to be somewhat free from the crate and an x-pen, I think), putting her bone in the crate…then out….then in….then out. I'm not getting much work done watching her antics.

I gave her a ball full of kibble and that's been a big hit. She launches it with her foot as hard as possible across the room and sends kibble (and the ball) flying EVERYWHERE. I’m going to be picking kibble from the keyboard for quite some time! Nothing dainty about this girl! She’s going to be a wildfire when she's back to 100 percent. I can definitely see a difference in her wobbling; it’s definitely more under control, now. She wobbles, but doesn't run into everything like she has been doing. Let's keep our fingers crossed she's made it through the worst and she continues to improve......

July 31: Tough Girls Don’t Wear Earrings.

Ruby began to get up again today to say hello! Nothing else has improved, and she still shakes and stumbles badly, but at least she’s HAPPY again. I did notice today that her ears have completely healed, and Ruby’s earrings are officially gone! I also cannot find a single air pocket under her skin, anywhere!

July 27: Four Sardines.

The last few days have been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least. There was absolutely NOTHING we could do to stop the progression of the disease, or even make her feel any better. The only thing to do was continue togive her all the attention and loving that she just so adores, and hope it would help keep her spirits up.

The shaking and twitching got so bad by Wednesday that Ruby stopped trying to sit up and say hello. By Thursday she stopped wagging her tail and stopped "smiling." With everything she'd been through so far, she ALWAYS remained cheerful (tired, but cheerful). This development truly broke our hearts because it was SO un-Ruby. With the weekend approaching, we made the decision to go ahead and take her in to be euthanized so she would not continue to suffer until Monday.

But, Ruby is not going to give up THAT easily. She wagged her tail and had a little more of that Ruby sparkle to her in the exam room. With that, Dr. Bob refused to give up on her. He said he just couldn't do it, she still had something left in her. If we wanted to euthanize her today, the other vet in the office would have to do it, he could not. So, Ruby came back home that night, with one more chance. We took her home knowing we might be back in next week, but it was worth a try.

I’ve been giving my dogs sardines every morning with their breakfast since they were puppies. They love them, and it makes their coats silky soft and shiny. My fosters also get a sardine every morning, too. Ruby is no exception, she practically does cartwheels for her sardine. Every can I have ever opened can has had three sardines. There’s been no exception to this rule. When I took in my first foster, it worked perfectly: three sardines, three dogs. On Ruby’s first morning at my house, the first can I opened had four sardines. I laughed at the coincidence: four sardines, four dogs. For the next three days, every can I opened had four sardines, without fail. On Thursday, there were only three, just a coincidence, I know, but it broke my heart nonetheless because it was becoming apparent that little Ruby might not make it much longer. On Friday morning I was distracted with Ruby and getting her to the vet, so I did not give the girls their morning treat. Henrietta, "The Walking Stomach," stubbornly reminded me of this fact Friday night, after Ruby had returned safely home. Imagine my delight when I opened the can and there were four sardines packed in there?

July 24: Distemper.

This morning I was genuinely worried about Ruby so I got her into the vet. I was fairly certain there was something else going and it was not my imagination. Ruby’s instability had become more pronounced. She not only stumbles, but falls completely; she’s unable to stop herself. She walks into furniture and doorways. Walking through the grass is extremely difficult as she just cannot keep her balance in the uneven terrain. I was mortified to see her wander about the backyard, wobbling, swaying and falling as though she was drunk. I sat with her on the proch, to rub her belly after she had fallen yet again, and was even more concerned to notice that now not only was her nose like sand paper, but the pads of her feet were very hard. Later, when she sat still in her crate, her head would bob, her shoulders waggle, and her legs twitched. In fact she looked exactly like a person who has Parkinson's. Watching her manuever this morning was one of the most heartbreaking sights I've ever seen. She is up to two cups a day, yet seems to have LOST a little weight again, and it looks like her coat and dandruff is getting worse, not better. But she remains hungry, has a decent energy level and is still happy and cheery.

Once the vet saw the neurological symptoms, the diagnosis was obvious: Ruby had distemper. Canine distemper is a contagious, incurable, often fatal, multisystemic viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. Until she began the shaking, nobody had put two and two together, NONE of the vets that had seen her made a connection. Her symptoms up to this point seemed in line with her other issues: a short and very minor bout of respiratory "gunk" was thought to have stemmed from the trachea infection, poor nutrition causes issues like her dry, loose coat. Even the worms could have caused her to have trouble getting the weight back on. Apparently, this is not unusual with Distemper. The beginning stages look so much like every other bug out there, that sometimes it's only very late in the game, when it begins to attack the epithelials (skin, feet, nose) and the nervous system, that it becomes readily apparent.

How and why did Ruby contract distemper? Fortunately, the vaccine is extremely effective. Ruby had her first shot when she arrived at the shelter, but in previously unvaccinated dogs it takes a second round and then annual boosters thereafter to be truly protected. A healthy dog may have fought off the virus after having just had that first shot; however Ruby came in with puppies, heartworms, injuries to her ears, poor nutrition, worms….you name it and that dog had been through it. Her immune system was way too compromised. When you add her recent spay and the resulting complication, there’s no way she could have fought it off. Once again, as has seemed to happen over and over again with this poor girl, it was likely just bad luck in the convergence of many unfortunate events.

The only thing left to do was either go ahead and euthanize her now or wait and see if she can survive. If she managed to survive, nobody could guarantee the nervous system damage would reverse itself, either. Ruby has been kept away from other dogs since she arrived, so she could continue to be effectively quarantined if we were willing to let her keep fighting. Since she seemed so happy and was still eating (and pooping) well - the only real problem was the shaking - we decided to let her keep fighting.

July 23: A Stumble.

Ruby is much stronger than when she came to us, but I’m still concerned about her energy level. She does not seem to be bouncing back as quickly as we expected, especially after the progress of that first week. Sometimes she will be energetic and perky, at other times it takes everything she has to walk out to go potty or wag her tail and smile her “hello.” For example, this morning, Ruby stumbled getting out of her crate, again going through the back door, and several more times as she tried to step off and then back on the patio. It’s as though her balance is not quite right. I cannot tell if she is just trying to move faster than her body can handle right now, or if there was really something else going on. The change is ever so slight; more of a curiosity than a cause for alarm. Her energy level is still the same, but at least she’s eating fine and is still very happy.

July 22: Living it Up.

Ruby has continued to improve in small steps, day by day, and remains always cheerful. Her energy level continues to improve. She can walk out to her potty area and have enough steam left to fidget a bit in her exercise pen and tear the stuffing out of two beds! She still has a long way to go, though, and is tired easily. Her coat still feels like straw and continues to fall out in clumps. I’ve also had to increase her food to two heaping cups a day in an effort to get some weight on her. Lastly, she’s still “crinkly” so I’m careful about petting her anywhere but on her face, chin and chest and a small spot on her belly, of course. But Ruby doesn’t care, she’s thrilled for any attention she gets!

She’s adjusted quickly to life in a real house. It took a good five minutes for her to screw up the courage to walk through the garage and into the house the first time. She spent a good 30 minutes just cautiously wandering the house sniffing and retreating from things like tile, trashcans, potted plants and even the resident squeaky toys. You should have seen her reaction to the beaver squeaky toy on the floor—she must have jumped fifty feet! I’m pleased to see she’s cautious and careful about new places, but not terrified. She has bounce-back; it doesn’t take her long to find the courage to give scary things another inspection, all on her own without any help from me. That’s an impressive trait considering she’s likely been chained in the yard her whole life.

She’s still in such a fragile state that she’s being tucked safely away from my other dogs in the house. She can watch the activities of the household and sit with me while I work on the computer, but she’ll stay separated for another few weeks, or at least until there are no more air pockets under her skin and she’s gained weight and strength. Since she still has air pockets, we can’t be sure the trachea has healed completely, so there’s no guaratee she will not collapse a lung if excited by the other dogs.

July 15: One week later.

It has been one full, action packed, roller coaster ride of a week since Ruby was pulled from the shelter. Oh, what a difference all the medical care, good food, and good company has made. Last week she could hardly keep her eyes open, she was too weak to lift her ears, it took all her effort to walk across the yard, and she needed a little extra help to stand steady. Look at her now! She's got a real spring to her step, although admittedly the burst of energy is small and short-lived. We aren't normally happy about this sort of behavior....but she actually has enough energy to jump up on you (to get petting, of course!) She gives a playful bark and a little play bow to the other dogs running in the agility field. She tries to skip and turn about in an effort to get your attention, but she still stumbles and loses her balance. She's definitely still working on building back her strength and coordination! In fact, the combination of her clumsiness, those long lanky legs and big ears remind me of a baby deer learning to walk. She's still skinny, but her waistline is beginning to fill out now (as it should, she eats like a horse). Her nose has pretty well dried up, same goes for the worms. She still hacks a little if she's walking too fast, but even this seems to be getting better and better. Every day brings yet another small improvement. We're still staying vigilant about keeping her very quiet, though. You can still feel the air pockets all over. The eerie, crinkly feel to her skin is enough to sober you to the fact that she's not out of the woods, yet.

July 13: MORE pills?!

Ruby continues to feel better and better. The hours spent sleeping have decreased dramatically, and she's got a little perkiness to her again. However, she now has the sniffles, green discharge in her nose and a slight light cough from time to time. We also discovered tapeworms this morning, too! So, Pat made yet another call to Doctor Bob. He's giving her some additional meds to clear up the worms and something to stop the sniffles before it starts to reverse all the progress she's made. We're keeping our fingers crossed she doesn't also have Kennel Cough. The good news is that despite these latest developments, she appears to continue to feel better and better. Plus, Ruby isn't complaining about the tasty doses of hot dogs twice a day, either!

Dr. Bob needs to go on speed dial.....

July 12: Border Collie Games.

At approximately 4:30 in the afternoon, Jim sent out a Ruby progress report e-mail:

"Uh-oh! The border collie in her is coming back to life - she is chewing off pieces of her bone, flipping them in the air and catching them!"

It's only been four days since she was pulled from the shelter and approximately 24 hours since being in ICU at Texas A&M and she's already finding ways to amuse herself. We're in TROUBLE!

July 11: A new name for Maizie.

Maizie came back home today. She’s on strict crate rest for three to five weeks with medication to help her body heal the tear in her trachea. If she breathes too hard her lung could collapse, so we’ve got to be extra careful. Once she’s healed, she then will begin the long road through heartworm treatment. She sure was happy to be back with Foster Dad Jim and in her cozy bed with her blanket!

Maizie has been repeatedly poked, prodded, petted (and don’t forget the bath and all that scrubbing) over the last few days before we knew that all of this handling is likely very painful for her. Air under the skin is a horrific pain for humans. It is not as bad for dogs, but still painful nonetheless. She has never once snapped, snarled or fled out of pain and fear. She’s been nothing but sweet and loving, from cuddling in Pat’s lap in vet waiting rooms, to kissing on all the doctors, vet techs and shelter workers. What a wonderful, tough little dog! There’s truly a precious gem underneath all that neglect. It’s time she has a name that really matches just how special she is. As of today, she’s Ruby.

July 10: Mystery solved!

Pat drove Maizie up to Texas A&M for special care today, a three hour round trip. Of course, everyone fell in love with her, especially the student assistant in charge of her during her stay (he’s a Border Collie person). Maize was sure to be extra special sweet to him! But once again, her condition has everyone stumped. She’s dehydrated, so they will keep her in ICU overnight to administer fluids, a delicate procedure for a dog with heartworms. Too many fluids too fast can kill them. A&M can also run digital x-rays, which have a clearer picture. We’re hoping the leak will show up somewhere in this new round of pictures.

Pat left A&M with no answers, but on the drive home she got a wonderful phone call. The images showed a small tear in her trachea, likely caused from the tube during her spay. This is how the air is leaking out into her body. The surgeons believe this will heal on it’s own in three to five weeks and the air pockets will be absorbed, so no surgery is necessary (a real blessing).

July 9, 2007: A mysterious ailment surfaces.

Maizie was exhausted from her bath and ride home from the shelter. Foster Mom Pat remarked that she felt crinkly when she helped her into her crate, as though she’d fall apart if you didn’t hold her just right. But we weren’t too worried. She’s a young dog and other than being tired and underweight, she should be able to pull through the heartworm treatment with good food, water, rest, medication…and belly rubs.
However, this morning Maizie woke up breathing heavy and a little erratically. Pat got her in to see Dr. Bob right away. The prognosis was not good; Maizie’s problem was one the vet had never seen before. She has pockets of air over her body, just under the skin. Usually these air pockets are caused by some sort of trauma, either a kick or a larger dog grabbing a smaller dog and shaking them. However the pockets are normally localized in one spot, not all over the body. Plus, they had to have occurred recently, because she could not have lived long with them. She’s had no incidents at the shelter and no bite wounds can be found anywhere. Dr. Bob ran x-rays to see if anything would show up internally, but there was nothing, save for irritated lungs. We’re very worried about this girl. She remains sweet and affectionate, but she’s lost her perkiness today. We’re not sure if she’s going to pull through this, especially if we cannot find the cause.

July 8, 2007: Out of the shelter!

All three of us went to pull Maizie from the shelter today. Upon closer inspection it was apparent that she’d had a bad life so far. Her beautiful red markings were sun bleached, and her white hair was more of a dull yellow. The dead hair was falling off in small clumps, and her skin was full of dandruff and flea eggs. However, she sure had a nice bushy tail that never stopped moving! She’s very thin, even after being fed at the shelter for a few weeks. She has bare spots on the tips of her cute little prick ears. Barbara explained they are fly strikes. She was likely tied out in her former home, and the flies badgered her little ears raw. Her “earrings” should heal in time, though. Within seconds we saw why everyone has been fighting so hard to get this girl a home. Even though it’s obvious she looked like she wasn’t feeling her best, she was still perky and made sure we knew she was VERY happy to see us. She came over right away wanting nothing but to be loved on. She’s even polite, making sure to take turns going over to each one of us to say hello!

Barbara mentioned plenty of people have shown interest in her. Unfortunately on the outside she’s a mess; she’s not an “instantly perfect” dog and nobody has stepped up to take her on and get her cleaned up. It’s too bad. Those often turn out to be the best dogs, if you can only overlook the flaws on the outside. She has good foundations that you can’t buy--sweet and good natured--the physical part can be fixed. So, we took her home to shine her up.

How her story began……

“Maizie” was brought into the shelter with heartworms and puppies. They found foster homes for the puppies, but everyone left “mom” behind. Fortunately, two volunteers could see this is a special girl. They took her under their wing, giving her as many comforts as they could in an attempt to keep her spirits up until they could find her a home.

They arranged for her to be showcased on radio shows, had her spayed in an attempt to make her more appealing. Spaying a dog with heartworms is risky; they already have a compromised immune system. One of her shelter guardians, Barbara, knew the shelter was very overworked with animals, so she took Maize to another vet to be spayed, just so she could be sure someone would have the time to give her the extra monitoring and care she needed to pull through. For a volunteer to take the time and effort to do such a thing, with so many dogs out there in need, she MUST be a special dog, indeed.

But as time progressed, Maizie began to get a little depressed. Most dogs with sweet and sensitive personalities don’t do well in the shelter. Combine that with her heartworms and recovery from surgery, not to mention the neglect of her prior home, and it was time to find a way out for her and fast. As luck would have it, BCRT had a plan! Through tag team efforts, Maize would stay at one foster home (Foster Mom Pat and Foster Dad Jim) for a couple of weeks to make sure she did not have any illnesses from the shelter, then she’d move to my home for the remainder of her heartworm treatment and recovery.