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Goodbye, Ruby...

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MadDogMike's picture
July 7, 2015 at 3:06pm
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Back in February of 2002, my Wife, Miss Alanea, wanted a dog for our 5 children, blended marriage, ages 9 to 15.  She went to a Humane Shelter, and picked out this Shiba-Inu mix, this puppy had a gold/brown coat, two-colored tongue like a Chow, and she named her Ruby.  She looked like a miniature husky, or malamute.  The best looking dog I ever saw.  But I didn't like her.  I had always laid on the floor and watched TV with my kids, and those days were over unless I wanted to be covered in hair.  I was not happy with the spouse's decision, but she potty-trained her, and taught her tricks.  The kids just fell madly in love with her, and I would yell at her whenever possible, the first year she was with us.  I was telling my step-Mom how I felt about having a dog in the house 24/7, and she said, "Mike, you know they can sense that. Do you really want a dog that cowers every time you speak to it?"

Well, that comment weighed heavily on me for a couple of weeks, and I decided that I, Master of the Household, needed to change.  If not for myself, then for the kids, who got sooo much enjoyment from this 4-legged creature.  I began to take her on walks, and play with her, and talk to her.  I swear she knew exactly what I was saying when I asked her, "Do you wanna fight?"  I'd grab her paws, and she'd pull them back, then I'd play hide and seek with her, and she'd get excited and run around in circles, then stop, and look at me, waiting for my next move.  If I stopped to catch my breath (Hey, I'm not 18), she's sit or lay down beside me, and relax, maybe snooze a bit.  My wife would take her out to her sister's house so she could swim in the pond. She enjoyed that.  If you said, "Do you wanna take a walk?", you better have the leash in hand because she was ready to go right now!  She was so protective of all of us, especially Momma (Alanea), or the youngest, Emma.  She loved to romp in the snow with Luke, and was always there waiting for us to get home from any trip to the market, or a 8-hour trip out of town.  You could hear her barking as I came down the driveway, and she'd raise hell until she heard our voices or got that door opened.  Never fast enough, in her eyes. and she's be all over us, so happy we were home. The wife took many trips to Florida without me, and Ruby would miss her...a lot...you could tell by her demeanor.  She would walk up to her side of the bed, and sniff, and loved to lay down on Momma's t-shirt, or any article of clothing of Momma's, while she was gone.  It was reassuring to her.  So, we watched her get older, as our children went from middle school through junior high and high school, and a couple of them through college with degrees.  

About 10 years ago, the family went through a very traumatic time, and Momma felt that Emma should have her own dog, so we brought home Maggie.  I hated her from the get-go.  She was a beast, clumsy, loud, the royal pain-in-my-ass.  She would walk along side Ruby, and be nipping at her neck, growling, trying to start something.  Ruby would just keep walking, with a look of Good God this is annoying to have to deal with...I know Sweetheart, I'd kick her in the butt if I was you.  Two years ago, Momma had had enough, too much hair, too much chaos, the vet bills, mishaps, so she found a good home for Maggie, and we were back to a one-dog family.

Ruby loved to wake up to any of us in the morning.  She knew she'd get a treat, and a fresh bowl of water.  Then she'd head outside and patrol our little piece of ground, sniffing and checking out who may have ventured onto the property during the night.  She usually went over to the paved bike path that ran beside our piece of land, and walk along there, too, sniffing, and checking out the walkers and bikers.  She never barked or growled at them, she gave them their space.  Then it was back to the house for another tough day of pestering Momma, interspersed with countless naps and potty trips outside.

Over the past year, the family started to notice a glazing on her eyes.  I assumed it was cataracts, which is normal as a dog gets older.  I wasn't alarmed, this stuff happens.  It also seemed that her hearing wasn't as good as before.  Again, standard stuff here.  I thought maybe I should have her go to another room when I crank up the amp and wail on the Les Paul.  It never seemed to bother her before...hmmmmm.

Momma took a cruise to the eastern Carribean with her best friend from Tampa, gone from the 12th of June until getting back early am on the 23rd.  I told Ruby when I left that morning that tonight "Momma coming home!". Her ears perked up, just for a moment.  At two am, when we walked in, she wasn't there to greet us.  A minute or two after we walked in, she came strolling out of our bedroom, walking a little unsteady.  She was glad to see Momma, but that usual excitement was gone.  I was on vacation this past week and a half, and every morning there was an accident on the carpet.  Thursday, Momma and I were outside all day, mowing, weed-whacking, mulch on the flower bed, Rubes never wanted outside, except to pee.  She always loved to stay outside and sit in the shade of the big conifer tree, and watch us all day long, not that day.  Saturday, 6:30 am, Momma wakes me from my slumber, and yells that Ruby is having a seizure.  I look up and see her on her right side, violently shaking from nose to tail...a vacant look in her eyes, blood coming out her nose, froth from her mouth...Momma tends to her, I can't....we watch her all day...she is just quiet...real quiet...Sunday morn at 6 am brings another one, 10:15 am another...I text Alanea at church, and tell her...; today is the day, she cannot suffer no more.  I think back a month ago, when she nudged me one morning with her nose as I'm playing my normal internet solitaire to get my mind going, "What you want Rubes, what you want ? You wanna go outside ?"  And she dances in circles in anticipation of me opening the door...and here we are, today...what the...Momma and Emma come from church, and we take a few quick pictures and load her in the back of the Equinox.  She wails the first mile, then quiets right down...I get Momma and Emma and Clare laughing when telling stories of my pain tolerance....anything to get their mind off the matter at hand.

We walk into the 24/7 vet clinic, and I tell them what we are here to do, and they give us a room and tell us to take all the time we want.  We fill out a form or two, and while waiting, Ruby has the worst seizure YET...she releases some bile, the violent shaking, blood, foaming at the mouth....I can't handle it and walk to the front desk and tell the aide what is happening right now.  She comes and gets her, takes her back and they get the IV into her paw area.  My three ladies are sobbing their hearts out for our precious pet...the lady vet comes in with Rubes, and we lay her down on the floor, and she gives her a sedative, and she lays there, comfortable...numb, and she tells us we have all the time in the world, and I politely tell her that we have made our peace with her, and I don't mean to sound callous, but it is in-humane of me to make her have to go through this again...four seizures in 32 hours, well, I see a trend developing here.  So she puts the juice into the IV, and Ruby lays there, and two minutes later, she checks her, and says, "Her heart has stopped......" 

48 hours later, the tears haven't stopped flowing.. I never had a pet longer that two weeks in my lifetime.  I don't think I could go through this again... Thanks, Ruby, for being my Buddy....

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