Ruby's page

Tango was getting on a bit, I'd had him for two years on his own, after Chippie had to be re-homed , [ by the way, I've hard that he is well and in a small holding and the only dog, thankfully]
 I put a post on Facebook to my dog friends that I was looking for a roughly 5 year old female collie. In a short time I had quite a few to choose at various ages. One did take my eye though she was 8yrs, owned by an old acquaintance in dog competition, My friend Sue and I arranged to meet her halfway between homes in January 2011, My first thoughts when I saw her was, 'you're not really what I like' bless her, she was small and very short-coated with rather thin legs, one wonky ear due to a haematoma and looking quite scared, everything I've never had in a dog. I took her out of the cage and walked her round the car park, She clung to me and looked up with such a trusting look on her face,........... I said,  I'll take her, and I am so glad I did.
She had been used for breeding, and I didn't know at the time that when a bitch reaches 8yrs the progeny can't be registered as pedigree pure-bred. so many poor breeding bitches get dumped. She hadn't been beaten or abused, but maybe lacked socialisation . Barking at anyone who looked at her was one of her most obvious traits of fear or mistrust, she still doesn't readily approach strangers but is now able to accept them but keeps her distance. Her start in life was different, and was apparently owned by a couple for her first three years but the wife died and the husband couldn't keep Ruby, so she ended up where I got her from she would have been there five years. She will be twelve in September, and is now settled into old age quiet happily.  A ball is the only thing she will play with despite having quite a lot of toys, just so sad.
She and Tango were just like an old married couple, very little visible communication, but then I realise she's like that with all other dogs, they are there and she just accepts them, there's no interaction neither of like or dislike.
I had her speyed so there was no fear of her being attractive to dogs in future, I don't think she enjoyed being mated  as she does not like her back end cleaned or inspected, tucking her tail way up as far between her legs as she can get.
We've been on our own for over a year, but now there's another companion here for her to ignore or play with, his name is Zak and I will write about him shortly.

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