Meet Ruby... 11.5 month old OES rescue
 This is Ruby. She is an 11.5 month old Old English Sheepdog who I recently took in "as a foster," but can't imagine rehoming. Ruby came to me at the end of January in need of a good home, some training, and just some good TLC. She was not a foster in the sense that I went through a rescue to take her in. A friend of mine from work told me about her friend who had this dog she wanted to get rid of. I recently (August 2011) had to put down my American Staffordshire Terrier, Millie. It was really tough for me and I decided not to get another dog until I had a house with a backyard. Well, I guess that just wasn't how things were supposed to go for me and Dudley (my 7 y/o Goldendoodle). Once I heard Ruby's story, I knew I would do whatever it took to get her out of the previous situation. Her previous owner was going through a really hard time, and a 45 lb. OES puppy was not helping her situation. Ruby was being kept in a 36x26x24in. crate, closed in a bathroom, for upwards of 21 hours/day. She was allowed out to go potty, and sometimes to play with the owner's son, but other than that she was crated, with a bark collar on. Thankfully, from what I understand, this was only going on for about 8 weeks. That is still 8 weeks too long, but I'm glad it wasn't the whole time she lived there. When I took Ruby in, she was a little over 9 months old, 46 lbs., and shaved down completely. As you can see from the picture, she has grown out quite a bit. She was terrified of the crate (understandingly so) and was still deep into the chewing stage (she's still in it). Now 2.5 months and 15 lbs. later, she's thriving! She will now go into the crate (a bigger one) willingly, knowing that she will come out first thing in the morning. Ruby has gotten quite a few lessons on manners and rules of the house from her new big brother, Duds, and the cats. They let her know when she's bugging them! Her new favorite chew-toy is a big deer antler, thank goodness because for awhile there she was choosing my prescription eyeglasses at $200 per pair. She was spayed last week and is recovering nicely from that. I was hoping it would calm her down a little, but that hasn't seemed to take effect yet... Fingers-crossed! Please keep us in your thoughts as we embark on a new life in Ruby's forever home. Caroline |
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| Well... there should be a pic... but I don't know why it didn't post. |
| Thank you for introducing us to Ruby! It sounds like she is very lucky and has found a furever home! Looking forward to seeing pictures! You will notice that there are quite a few of us with "puppies" Mine is a 15 month old and there are many others on here that fall in the age of your puppy.... Hope you stick around and keep sharing Ruby's story! |
 Congrats to you and Ruby!!!  Because she pretty much missed out on being a normal puppy, you have to figure she is a new puppy and go from there. You're doing a great job!!!! I too was a 'foster failure' and proud of it!!!!  So, does she sleep with you yet? That will come..................just sayin  |
| I'm not sure why the picture didn't post, it happens sometimes with picture links. Too bad because I can't wait to see her! Welcome to the forums and congratulations on your sheepie pup. I can't imagine what a crummy life it would be locked in a crate for 21 hours a day! I'm so happy she found a new home! Here is a link to how to post pictures: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1119 |
| Thank you for saving this sweetie! She will love you forever! |
| hmmm, I can't get the image to display, but the link does work for me. She looks very sweet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78662131@N ... 732994713/ |
| That poor baby, so glad you are a foster failure. She looks so sweet and she has so much to learn about being a well-loved puppy. |
 Here we go! Miss Ruby Sue... |
| oh how cute she is keep pics and post coming |
Hi Ruby Sue and Dennica, welcome from West Virginia! What a sad life Miss Ruby had until you saved her  Congrats to both of you, its a win~win! |
| Welcome! Ruby Sue is so lucky to have found you! She looks like a really sweet girl! |
| Yeah, Foster Failure Ruby Sue is one lucky girl |
| She is adorable. Looking forward to more pictures and stories of Miss Ruby! |
| What an adorable girl!! Dudley looks like a sweetie too. Glad he is being nice to the new baby. I am so glad you found each other. I am so glad she will have a better life. She looks like a doll. I look forward to more pictures. |
| What a beautiful doll! Way to go Ruby...you picked out the right person. |
| Welcome to the forum from Illinois! Ruby looks like a real sweetie! Cindy |
Valerie wrote: Dudley looks like a sweetie too. Glad he is being nice to the new baby. Dudley is the best dog I've ever met/had. He's well-mannered, obedient, and a total lovebug! And since Ruby has come along, he's been more playful, which I'm so happy about! He grieved for quite awhile when Millie passed (gained 15 lbs!). I'm so happy that he has welcomed Ruby into our home and is teaching her to be the good dog I know she will grow to be! |
First - Thank you SOOO much for providing Ruby a home!!! She looks adorable and I am so glad you and your family are adapting well!  Second - Did you mention that Dudley is a goldendoodle? How is it that you have a "well-mannered, obedient" Doodle!? We have Sam and he's a pistol to say the least!  |
New OES Mama wrote: Second - Did you mention that Dudley is a goldendoodle? How is it that you have a "well-mannered, obedient" Doodle!? We have Sam and he's a pistol to say the least! Yes... he is a GoldenDoodle... and yes... he is very well-mannered and obedient! To be totally honest, Duds is kind of the "genetic defect" goldendoodle... He's got an underbite like no other, green eyes, he sheds like crazy, he's got reddish jowls and eyelids rather than black, AND he's got Addison's Disease (mucho $$$ for a big dog). So maybe his amazing behavior and temperment can go in there with the weird things about him! My mom claims that since I'm a special education teacher, I automatically have special ed pets too... Duds and Suki, one of the cats. |
Newest game at my house... I can't tell y'all how happy I am that Dudley's playing like a puppy again! |
| now that is love |
| I wonder how much of a fluke he really is. A friend had a doodle and the vet couldn't figure out what was wrong with him until too late.....Addison's disease. |
| What is Addison's disease? (dare I ask?) Love the tug-o-war pic!  |
| Addison's, the way I understand it, is basically adrenal gland failure. The adrenal gland isn't producing the electrolytes the body needs to survive. When Dud was diagnosed, he was in a full-on Addisonian episode. He was about 2 years old and I left him at the vet with the phrase "We'll do our best and call you in an hour" stuck in my head. His body temp was at 96 degrees (down from 101). It was by chance that they tried the treatment for Addison's and it worked. I don't think I had ever been so scared (granted, I was 22 years old and had thus far not had anything 'bad' happen in my life). That's really too bad about your friend's Doodle. It's a hard thing to diagnose because the symptoms are common to many different ailments. My vet down in Auburn, AL (where I lived at the time) was very leery of the "designer breeds" that people are trying to come up with. She said that with all the cross-breeding, yes, we are getting the best of both breeds, but we are also opening up these breeds to the ailments and diseases common to both breeds. I dunno... I'm just glad I know what Dud's got so I can replace what his body's not making and keep him healthy. His shot costs me upwards of $175 every 25 days. Craziness, but because he's such a hoss, he takes a ton of replacement hormones. Ugh! |
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