Ruby

Ruby Lead paws scruffles von puppyduck fur prawnius the third is her technical name, it has been built over the 3 almost 4 years that she has graced us with her presence. Her spoiled ways are not only tolerated in this house, but they are encouraged. From her sweet homemade chaise in the sun spot at the front window, to the couch seat where she hides her kibble (in my couch, really!) to the many other places we have maintained and organized around the house, strewn with blankets and toys, Ruby rules the roost.

She came to us on a sunny August evening 2 ½ pounds of fluff and adorableness. She would eat her minuet bowl of food and swell to just a sweet belly of rolly pollyness, and pass out only to awaken full of energy and life. She came fully kennel trained which I was incapable of following through with. Desperately needing her sweet little fluffiness near me, I allowed her to sleep on a pillow next to me. This has of course, has now caused the inevitable 3 am wake up to her spooning my fiancé with her head on my pillow. Thank goodness she is only 10 ½ Pounds. Ruby has become the love that helps us grow, the joy that keeps us sane and bond that has created a very muddled group of people into a family.

Amalgamating my fiancé and his daughter with my son and I, was not an easy task. All of us coming from emotionally abused relationships, destroyed psyches and all around broken hearts, we chose to work together to heal. Ruby has been the glue that binds us, the light that heals us and she has taught us all lessons we didn’t even know we needed to learn.

My youngest, my son, Has an extreme form of ADHD with impulse control problems. She has taught him how to control his impulses, how to care for something smaller then himself and she rewards him with unconditional love and caring. My favorite story was one day he came home from grade 6 (it was a difficult year to say the least) just exhausted and sad, to this day I am not even sure why. He curled up on the couch put a blanket over his head and just laid there. Ruby went over and just curled up on him, and an hour later he got up and was fine. She the effort of sitting with someone’s discomfort can be healing.

Ruby has taught my other daughter to open up and trust love, that there is love without conditions (other than a belly rub) she has been healing from an emotionally abusive mother, Where love only comes with rules, conditions and constant boundary violations. It is hard to see such an attachment problem so early on in life. See this kind of abuse causes people to only trust themselves, for them to believe that the only person they can trust to take care of them, to love them is themselves. They close themselves off emotionally fearing that no one or nothing will truly care about their feelings. Ruby was always been stand offish with my daughter, not trusting because she couldn’t feel her, as though my daughter was in a bubble and then one day she lost it overwhelmed in anger, sadness and confusion she opened herself up because she was scared and when she opened up ruby stepped right in and was there to comfort her, and a beautiful relationship has bloomed from there. It has also help her grow and heal in so many ways.

I don’t even know where to start with my fiancé, sometimes I am almost jealous of the two of them, and he was my boyfriend first. I have never seen such a look of love and devotion on a dogs face, like you see on hers when they snuggle at night. He needed to be loved unconditionally, appreciated and valued and he just spoils her. She has a special bed that goes on the passenger side seat of his truck, so she is comfortable and doesn't slide around .she also has a special chair in the garage where she watches him fix bikes, Its adorable.

How did Ruby heal me you ask? Well nothing I am perfect bwahahah just kidding. I was passive and aggressive, no not passive aggressive. I was either “hey walk all over me and do what you want “people pleaser at your service, or aggressive and overly assertive, I did not know how to get my point across without getting angry or yelling (it’s a whole narcissistically abused thing) well miss Rubykins is very sensitive to energy, so I have been able to tell when I am getting aggressive not assertive and it has helped me heal so much. There are many other things that this little puppy duck has done to restore us, to repair us and to hold us together. She loves to lick your tears, whether you are crying from pain, from falling off of your bike, from hurt feeling or even a broken heart, she is a good girl. So I guess in a way ruby rescued us, she has been the best thing that has happened to all of us ; I didn’t know you could love an animal as much as we love our Ruby.