Ruby's Story

Mohamed was talking to one of the locals who helped with our building work yesterday. Ruby went out with him and ran up to the neighbour as if she knew him. He recognised her and told Mohamed what he knew about her background.

On the hillside to the north of the village, there is a collection of beehives and a little tent where the men sleep when they are working with the hives. Our neighbour spends quite a bit of time there with his bees. Some men from a neighbouring village took Ruby up there earlier this year and left her there to watch the hives. I suppose she would have been OK as long as she was able to scavenge or hunt food or while there were men in the tent. She (of course) got pregnant and had 8 puppies but this was at the height of the really hot weather that we had. I don’t suppose she had enough milk to feed the puppies and they all died and eventually Ruby had to leave to try and find food…. and that is how she came to us.

The neighbour said that one of men had asked him just last week if he had seen her and he said no, because he knew she was with us and would have a better life with us. (...thinking about it that is quite a big deal - telling a lie during Ramadan! I am really grateful to him - though I suppose it will get round the village grapevine that she is here.) He thinks she is something over a year old.

I think at the moment Ruby believes that she is still their dog but hopefully with time she will forget them. In the meantime I won’t be taking walks in the direction of those hives!



On Friday, the Eid (holiday at the end of Ramadan) we went along the coast to Tagazhout. Ruby was a little bit slathery during the car journey (first time in the car) and we had to stop to give her some fresh air. It was also her first time on the beach (euch it is all wet!) and in a restaurant for lunch (I took some biscuits for her which the cats came and ate – not our cats the restaurant cats). She is wary of traffic and large groups of people but got her confidence walking back along the beach. We drove back to Agadir and had a walk along the corniche (prom, paseo whatever you want to call it) down at the quiet end. She was walking really well on the lead but did not want to go back in the car.



Yesterday we walked up the riverbed for while and saw some striped ground squirrels running up the rocks and about 12 magpies all together.

I am so happy that Ramadan is over. It has been really difficult this year as it was so hot and also the days were longer.

Today is the first day since the end of Ramadan that we have had sunshine in the morning, it has been quite overcast, but this morning I will be having my coffee and croissant sitting on the roof.