You often see me blog and post pictures of Major, Russell’s
Service Dog, because he goes everywhere with us, but also traveling with us is
Ruby. Ruby is our 14 ½ year old Black
Lab. She is 50 pounds of solid
determination. She was the runt of the
litter, so she is quite small for a lab, not barrel chested like so many. Ruby has suffered from seizures for years,
although we have opted not to medicate her for them. We watch her diet, and I don’t think she has
had a single seizure since we began RVing.
(Knock on wood.)
I have had Ruby longer than I’ve had Russell. 😃 My family actually got Ruby when we lived in
Pennsylvania, when she was only 8 weeks old.
It’s difficult to remember a time without her. Sarah, claims her to be her dog, because she
arrived only 2 days before Sarah’s 6th birthday, but somehow,
Russell and I still have Ruby, even though Sarah is out on her own now. Funny how that works, huh?
Like most of us, Ruby is showing her age more and more. She is white muzzled, or are they strands of
glitter? I'm not sure. She no longer likes to play
with toys, although she still likes her occasional treat. You see the cloudiness in her eyes. She can’t hear her name called, so she is
always on leash when outside the RV, and due to arthritis, she has difficulty
keeping her hind end up at times, but she is a trooper. She tries desperately to keep up with Major
and all his energy, but she just can’t most days, although she still enjoys
going for walks, just at a slower pace.
Ruby sleeps a lot. Over
the years, she has become more and more like a cat. She has claimed Major’s giant sized bed as
her own and can be found 90% of the time on the bed… unless you are in the
fridge. Then she is at your side to see
what you have that she might want. Her
favorite food remains cheese and she loves the occasional pizza crust, if you
are willing to share. She is still very
loving, but on her own terms… again, like a cat.
When we are at an RV Park and out sightseeing, Ruby stays
behind at the RV. She is nowhere near as
well trained as Major, and can’t go everywhere with us like he can, so she gets
left out of so many adventures. Again,
she sleeps a lot and much of the time doesn’t even hear us come in when we
return. Many times, we have to give her
a bit of a shake for her to know we are back, and for us to know that she is
still alive.
Traveling with 2 large dogs can be a challenge in such a
small space. They are always underfoot, but
we wouldn’t have it any other way. They
are as much a part of this adventure as we are, and they have added memories to
the journey.
Until next time and more dog tails (pun intended),
Roberta
The Traveling Crafter
She's such a sweet dog (she's still our team mascot!!!). This shows as KrazyK8 and I can't change it - Kathie)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathie!
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