Ruby (III)

This little itty bitty girl's name is Ruby. But don't let her size fool ya. She's a survivor! (She has III behind her name because she's the third Ruby we've had in rescue)

Corgi Connection of Kansas was contacted about Ruby in August by a kind gentleman who had been feeding her for almost a year. He called her Ruby, so we kept it. Seems our little Ruby was either dumped or lost. He had tried numerous times to catch her but she wanted nothing to do with that. So he continued to leave food out for her which she cautiously gobbled once she felt the area was clear of humans. Months passed including winter and she spent her time living under one of the gentlemen's evergreen trees and who know where else.

Thanks to one of CCK's volunteers we were able to harmlessly trap Ruby and get her in to safety. Remarkably she was in pretty good health. Vaccinations, a bath and toenail trim later she came out as a beautiful corgi but with some very serious trust issues. We don't know Ruby's history; why she was not sought after by someone one, or if they just gave up on her. We believe she is about 3 years old and her weight right at 20 pounds. She tested negative for heartworms so she has been put on heartworm preventative along with flea and tick preventative. She has been vaccinated, is spayed and micro-chipped.

While physically Ruby seems to be perfectly healthy, emotionally she is scarred. She is terrified of almost everything; noises, sudden movements, doorways and people. It has been basically like taking in a farel dog. Progress has been slow, but progress is being made. She no longer messes in her crate; she will usually follow the rest of the dogs in and out of the house; she will jump on the couch and sit next to me (foster mom); she now knows what dinner time is about and will usually eat her entire meal without getting scared and running off. She has shown a few signs of play.

She will walk on a leash but it does require a lot of coaxing. She is terrified of cars. She now takes treats out of our hands. If given the choice she would spend her entire time in her crate or some other place of hiding so we shut her crate door while we're watching TV. She does fine with the other dogs, but no real interaction. She has gotten snippy with some of them if she feels crowded.

Ruby will not be available for adoption for quite some time as we want her to be much more adjusted to the regular life of being a loved pet. Check back for small milestones on Ruby's journey as we try to soften her past and get her to look to the future!