Ruby Turns One!

 The last nine months with my new golden puppy sped like a clock on fast forward. It's funny considering how much time stands still for years, yet in the span of nine months I could physically see the changes happening in the body of my new puppy, Ruby. 

Teething Months: The first few months with her were the most challenging because she was a baby dog and had an incredibly painful tummy parasite that made her extraordinarily grumpy. Not knowing what caused her pain and irritation was frustrating. Her baby teeth finished coming in and she was more than ready to devour all the wooden furniture. Just as her baby teeth settled, and we got the parasites out of her tummy, we had about a month of calm. At her fifth month, her teeth started falling out! And yet again, she wanted to devour the furniture. I never went through anything like this with cats! Fatty and Bentley were interested in scratching couches but I never noticed their teeth! So much could be said about a teething golden retriever in specific. The breed loves to hold things in their mouth therefore you and your clothes, your shoes, your socks, and above all your hands are all things that will go in said golden retriever puppies mouth. I don't think I ever had my clothes tugged and fingers bitten like I had with Ruby. I remember one night sobbing thinking I had gotten a golden shark with my legs and hands covered in tiny bruises from her bites. 

Training: The best part of having a golden retriever puppy has been training her. 

Her little heart adores "school" and her eyes sparkle when she realizes that she's won at understanding a new word that earns her a reward. Training Ruby has taught me how much we, as humans, need rewards in life to keep trying. Rewards for training a puppy can be a simple piece of food, like a morsel of chicken or cheese. Tasty for sure. However, the real rewards in training a puppy are emotional and life rewards. How true is this for us humans. Ruby adores cheese, but if she knows that responding to the command "Come" gets me dancing and jumping she'll gladly start coming to me me when called, even when she has the option of a squirrel. Her life rewards are toys that she loves. I remember a trainer saying "If only you think its a reward, it's not for your dog and it won't work." So finding what rewards actually mattered to Ruby has helped me understand not only her, but also humanity. What things in life actually matter to motivate a person you love? Is it a conversation? Tea time? Playing a game? Sitting and laughing over old memories till it hurts? Ruby's life rewards and emotional rewards for training have definitely given me food for thought. 

Patience: I think Ruby has forced me to be patient. She doesn't know there's a clock on life, and when birds sing, she listens. When the rain falls, she dances in it. When there's a puddle of delicious mud, she goes flying in it. Watching her experience her first year has given life to me. I love that I now do things that I never thought of doing before or ever again! We've gone countless days walking in tall grass in big fields, sniffing new things daily, meeting people of all shapes and sizes to "expose her" but it's also exposed me!

 I'm clearly in love with this little golden puppy of mine so I'll boil down some favorites of Ruby.

Favorite toy: the chicken and frisbee. The chicken came first. One day in Lowes, she saw a chicken toy and her eyes lit up. She wanted that chicken with everything in her. I carried her out of the shopping cart and told her very carefully, "Sit....Stay..." She held her little fluffy legs to the ground trembling waiting for the moment to break free. Knowing the prize of the chicken toy was in the balance. After a few seconds I released her and she went flying, mouth open, diving into the squeaker of the chicken. The chicken has been her favorite toy for the last year. He's had multiple patches and I'm afraid he'll need to be replaced soon. She also ardently loves playing fetch with frisbees and will run and run after them till she's tuckered out.

Favorite food: Ruby is a fatty. Fatty would be darned proud. She loves food. She has a "puppy diet" that consists of healthy goodies I make for her and kibble. Her favorites are: cat food (poor cats lost weight), liver, burgers, lamb, chicken, apples, peanut butter and banana. If you mixed all of those in a bowl for Ruby, you'd have a life long pal! If Ruby had to pick a favorite it'd be liver. That girl loves herself some liver!

Sniff sniff sniff. 

Favorite activity: getting pet by children and elderly people. Ruby exhibited a high attraction for babies and old people right as a little puppy. She is in a therapy training program with me and will hopefully become a therapy dog in about a year! If she sees a group of children, she's right there with them. Second favorite activity, eating. 

Brining smiles to firemen on 9/11

What she doesn't like: Ruby doesn't like tall, elegant, thin women who are running. She'll bark at them and it's embarrassing. She also doesn't care for too many dogs that aren't Goldens. She can spot a golden in the distance and instantly know its "family". Ruby by far prefers humans to dogs. Foodwise, she doesn't like blueberries and will look slightly offended if you give her some. "The heck is this?"

An old boy, but Golden! Old Uncle Yeller!

Liberty, showing Ruby how to play in the ocean

Ruby's love, little Henry

All things considered, the first year of having Ruby has been one of the most joy filled and satisfying years of my adult life. It makes everyday sweeter as I am more in touch with nature, people and having fun ruining in fields of tall grass with my puppy. For everyone who told me not to get a dog or a golden retriever: you were wrong!