Ruby - ADOPTION PENDING!!!

Chihuahua | Glen Burnie, MD

FemaleBrown/Chocolate with Tan

About

Meet Ruby - ADOPTION PENDING!!!

Meet Ruby. This adorable little nugget was found a stray, emaciated, in heat, and missing large patches of fur most likely from fleas and a poor diet. Amazingly, even in this condition, she was given away for free on social media without any vet care or a second thought about where she was going. It was Ruby’s good fortune that she was returned to her finder who then surrendered her to rescue.   Ruby has been recuperating in her foster home for over a month now. She’s living with a foster mom, Carrie, and three other Chihuahuas, and had a very easy integration into her new pack. She’s been spayed, is on monthly preventatives and eating a healthy diet, and her foster mom has been giving her fish oil supplements to help her coat. Her fur is almost fully grown back now and she’s thriving in her foster home.   Carrie describes Ruby as truly an amazing dog, and we checked in with her for an update:   “Ruby loves to be picked up and held - her lifelong dream is to be carried around all day in a baby bjorn. She is really funny and quirky! Whoever adopts her will be laughing every day. Whether she's figuring out how to take off her own sweater, diving face-first into the seam of a couch cushion to retrieve a tennis ball, army crawling around the back of the couch, or jumping head-first into a bush after a bird, there's always something funny she's doing. She would be TikTok famous if I was ever fast enough to get these little quirks on video.”   We also asked about some specifics to help adopters:   How is she doing with your pup pack?  She fit in great right away. She is vocal with setting her boundaries upon meeting new dogs, but not in a bad way. She can also be a vocal player, so while she can be growly/grumbly, they are not fighting words. My parents visited for the holidays with their dog and she acclimated to her really easily too. She has also met some of the neighbor dogs on leash and did great with them, both big and small. She's a very dog-friendly dog and respects their boundaries.   Cats? She seems to be ok with cats. I don't have any, but we passed an outdoor cat a couple times on our walks, she didn't seem overly interested. I also took in a stray cat that belonged to one of my neighbors for a day and she didn't seem interested.   Do you think she does better in a home with dogs, or fine as an only dog too? I think she would be ok as an only dog if she has people who are home a lot, but she really seeks out companionship so I think she would really thrive with another dog in the home. The few times I've had to leave her at home alone and take my dogs somewhere, she cried a lot when I left, which she doesn't do when she's left with at least one of my dogs at home, so dogs clearly bring her comfort and companionship. She's more connected to me than my dogs, but she will play and cuddle with them.   Energy level? She is mostly a mellow dog. She does get little bursts of playful energy, and she's almost puppy-like when it comes to affection, but she's content to snuggle up on the couch and cuddle all day as well. She's really the best of both worlds.   When she's giving affection, she can sometimes give little nibbles so might not be best for small children. She would be fine with older children who understand what's happening and can be taught to correct it.   Leash walking skills? She does really well on a leash. I don't have a fenced yard so we do multiple walks a day. She can tangle me up in the leash from time to time, but she listens well when I guide her to stay on a particular side. I've also done pack walks with her and my 3 Chis and she does great with them. She will occasionally bark at other dogs, but it seems to be her eagerness to meet them.   Personality? Ruby is a confident girl. She's always willing to meet new people and pets. She LOVES to snuggle, be picked up and held, and just have attention in general. But she also will lie down and entertain herself when I'm busy with work. She was ready to snuggle and give me kisses as soon as I met her, so she doesn't require any kind of warm-up time. She's mostly a quiet dog, but does get a little bit of guard dog mode when she sees someone walking by our front window or, god forbid, her own reflection in the sliding glass doors, ha ha!   How are her house manners? She crate-trained like a champ. She stays in a crate anytime I leave, sleeps there at night, and eats in her crate. All the pups get bedtime treats when we go to bed and as soon as I get those treats out she automatically runs into her crate and waits for her treat. I have left her out of her crate for short periods of time if I'm walking another dog, and she can be trusted with that. She hasn't caused any mischief while unsupervised. She is mostly potty trained and has only had a couple accidents since I’ve had her. We do frequent potty breaks - usually every 3 hours or so - to keep her on track. I've been trying to do basic commands with her, but she gets over excited about treats so it's a work in process, but she's trying.   She absolutely HATES the rain (this is how I learned she will back out of a harness). I'm working on getting her to potty in the rain but she fights it every time. *Trick for future owners - I put her harness on and then a jacket, and slip the ring for the leash through the little hole made for them - works like a charm in preventing her from backing out of the harness.   Does she greet new people and visitors well?  Ruby has never met a stranger! She loves every person she meets. My parents were in town recently and she immediately went to them for attention. She spent most of their time here snuggled up next to my dad on the couch.   Other things to note? Ruby can be a flight risk at first. She tried to dart out my front door a few times, so I make sure she is on a leash whenever my door is opened. She also can back out of a harness when she's motivated enough. I think the flight risk is less about her wanting to run away and more about her being stubborn and wanting to do what she wants to do (or not do in the case of going potty in the rain lol). I’ve been working on teaching her the wait command which may be helping. And she is learning that I always come back. We haven’t had an attempt in a couple weeks but I’m still just super cautious. She does seem to know her name now and will come when called inside, so these are good things that reduce the risk. She'll be best with an owner who has a little experience and knows how to manage these risks.   Also, Oddly enough, she is not a fan of the squeaker in toys. She seems to be a little afraid of it. She'll still play with the toys but doesn't want them squeaked. She's highly food motivated and it's been a great training tool for her   This adorable fun-loving girl is ready for her true forever home.   Apply today!   BREED ESTIMATE: Chihuahua GENDER: Female APPROXIMATE WEIGHT:  10 lbs  APPROXIMATE AGE: ~  3.5 to 4 years old COAT TYPE:  Short  ADOPTION FEE: $425 OTHER INFO: utd on shots/spayed/microchipped LOCATION:  Vienna, VA FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application. You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application. Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.

Adoption Process
http://worthydog.org/adopt/adoption-process/ 1. Application 2. Phone Interview 3. Veterinary Check 4. Home Visit 5. Approval

Contact
Worthy Dog Rescue
[email protected]
http://worthydogrescue.org