Ruby 12-226 [1]

Everybody please join me in welcoming another gem to RAGOM-land... the delightful Ms. Ruby!  She's been with me & my pack for a little more than one week and I have to say she's probably the sweetest dog & easiest foster I've had.  Ruby's a 4 year old Golden/Black Lab mix, 70 lbs, healthy, not even ear infections, experienced house dog.  At her well doggy vet check all she needed was a microchip.  Her previous family was transferred out of state and unable to find housing that allowed big dogs (feel free to insert your own commentary about shortsighted landlords here).  They sent her dog bed, food, toys and treats with her, sure signs of a much loved family dog.  

Ruby's attributes include:

• Totally house trained, not even one accident to announce her presence in a new environment
• Has lived with kids & cats, her mom had an in home day care & Ruby loves attention from the little ones - petting, hugging, even laying on her, it's all good :)
• No bad habits like counter surfing, resource guarding or begging at the table
• Totally trustworthy, Ruby's had free roam since day 1.  Although she's emptied my dogs' toy basket a few times, she hasn't touched any inappropriate items
• Loves fetch, her whole body language changed when I took the chuck-it out of her bag of toys!  Ruby also enjoys soft, squeakie toys or a good game of tug
• Walks reasonably well on leash, pulls some but getting better with every walk
• Loves car rides

You may be wondering why such a young, well behaved dog isn't on RAGOM's wait list?  Well... in addition to not looking like a Golden (those black Lab genes seem to regularly trump Golden Retriever genes) Ruby's greetings aren't exactly welcoming.  She's the first intake I've done where I was met by barking & growling.  It wasn't long before we were pals but Ruby doesn't make a good first impression.  Her SO rescued her at 6 months of age from a negligent breeder who hadn't bothered with little niceties like socialization or even kindness.  So while kids are all great, big humans - particularly men - are all scarey until proven otherwise.  When meeting a few neighbors on day 2 here, Ruby put on her growly, barking act.  Today we stopped over to chat with one of them again and again Ruby barked and threw in a few growls for good measure.  But within about 30 seconds Ruby was sniffing her hand, then sat & lifted a paw to shake :)  

Ruby will make somebody, even a first time dog mom, very happy!  I can't wait to see who's first to ignore the stigma of 'black dog syndrome.'