Hello there Ruby Fans! I hope everyone is doing great out there in RAGOMLAND. I have a new sponsor, Marcia G. and my foster-cousins Pippi, Ella, and Macie. Sending extra wet kisses your way!
I have a nickname and it is Dora the Explorer! I am constantly on the go checking everything out and love, Love, LOVE to climb up and over stuff and test boundaries. Ah, I love this house-living! Anything in the wood family, like the wicker-like storage cubes in the breezeway are very fun. Really fun when I grab an edge and pull a row of the covering off and RUN with it. Hey, I told FM I just made her a new hiding place between the top material and the foam underneath. How can she get mad at that?! I have thus lost ALL solo wandering privileges in the breezeway. **Hrumpf**
We sure give our lunch-time buddy Amy L. and her dogs a run for their money. On Monday, we knocked off a 7 foot piece of rain gutter and decided it would be fun to run around with it in the yard. It was not fastened with screws, so whadda expect? Too bad there is no video footage of that. I won't name names, but her initials are J-E-W-E-L and she just dares me to do things. FM says that with us two, we total much more than the sum of our parts and are more like 5 puppies!
I also have become talented in that I can carry Two slippers around at the same time. FM also calls me Ruby Two Shoes. Yep, I am definitely all retriever. And my foster sisters have taught me the fine art of retrieving tennis balls during Chuck-It Fest in the backyard! Yup, I bring the ball back to FM and drop it at her feet. How do you like that! FM says my foster sisters are really good teachers. I learn quickly from watching others.
You probably read Jewel's post about our outing last weekend at the RAGOM event. Well, my story of the day is a little different than Jewel's. You see, FM thought it would be good to play "Pass the Puppy" so I got a lot of time on other people's laps. Big thanks to Angie M., Karen H., Nikki F., and Kris N. for hanging with me and making me feel safe. I even got to get down and walk amongst the other RAGOM fosters there. What a nice group of dogs we were! I got to explore the store with my buddy Karen too. Another good confidence building activity for me and I really enjoyed it!
Here's me checking out the scene, wondering why all of the other dogs except Jewel and I are on the floor. See how cool as a cucumber I am when held by one of my super-fans?!

Here I am walking amongst the other honored guests, stopping for a photo op.

At the event, a wonderful lady named Joan D. bought each of us a Lamb Chop stuffed toy and Jen E. gave us each a dog bed of our very own. Here I am giving Lamb Chop a workout on the bed.

I am so thankful for all the love and kindness that people have shown to Jewel and me. Now that I know people are good, I am starting to approach strangers and they are petting me and saying how cute I am. I am really going to like this living with people gig.
And for a bonus the next day after the event, I got to go on my first walk around the block with one of my foster sisters. I was wearing a harness and did really well walking. OK, so I was kinda all over the place as the Dora in me took over, but I was brave (for the most part) as I encountered new stuff like parked cars, kids walking down the street and reading the pee-mail on sign posts. Let me tell you, lots of boys must be visiting those posts...
Also on my adventures I went to Chuck and Don's. Everyone there was nice to me. I was a little afraid and was shaking a bit as I had to walk the floor on my own, but I got braver with my foster sister there to show me it was ok. And we even got a couple of boxes of treats to take home from Jen. And I spent a few minutes in the crate with the back hatch open watching the people come in and out of the stores and cars driving in the parking lot. I was very interested in that activity (from the safety of my crate that is). So all in all, a great outing!
I also have some great news to share and that is Jewel and I will be having our surgeries next Monday January 14! We will be spayed at the same time. We are excited to get our lips fixed and will continue to update you on our progress and post photos. FM tells us to live it up now because after Monday, it will be leash restriction time as we heal up. No wrestling or getting all crazy with the zoomies in the backyard. It's gonna be rough on us!
Well, that's been my week. I hope you are having a great week too!
Love to all my fans!
Ruby "Dora the Explorer"
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FM here. Just a few quick notes to let you know a little more on her requirements.
Ruby will need another confident dog that can give her the appropriate corrections and be tolerant of her exuberant play style. She is a quick learner and will become submissive and respects her "elders". She loves to play chase and has plenty of energy to expend as any typical puppy.
Because she is a puppy mill dog, no kids under 10. Sudden, fast movements will make her hesitate. She is seeking out human attention now and even starting to approach strangers. Very incredible progress since coming into rescue just 4 weeks ago.
A fully enclosed fence is required for her safety. It may take some time for her to develop good recall, but with proper positive training, we think she will do great as she is showing that she wants human attention.
She will need a family that will be diligent in watching her at all times so as to not get herself into trouble or chew inappropriate items. She is so busy exploring her world and she will test EVERYTHING out.
We are still working on housebreaking, just waiting for the day when it "clicks" in her brain that peeing in the house is not right. However, in the crate overnight and during the workday, she has been keeping it clean and dry. She has had accidents 2-3 times in the house this past week, so lots of improvement.
Thanks for following her story!