Say Hallo to Ruby

So I was out feeding leftovers to my proxy dog last Monday night when I turned around and found the most pitiful little skeleton of a dog standing patiently in the hope that she would be fed.

So of course we took her indoors and tried feeding her. For the first 24 hours, while she would drink, she didn't seem able to eat anything - nothing tempted her. I ended up making a sardine smoothie and forcing it down her throat with a syringe. Little and often is apparently the trick with dogs who have been starved. When I had managed to get that down her I moved on to chicken mashed with rice and slowly she started to eat again. We have now graduated to Pedigree Chum biscuits (though I did have to spend a while teaching her to eat them) and she is slowly gaining weight. Still a long way to go but she no longer looks so much like a cross between a toast rack and a bicycle. We have also managed to get rid of the legions of ticks that were sucking the blood out of her.

Here is a photo of when she first arrived (looking like a pin up for the PDSA)



The cats are not overly impressed but so far there has not been too much trouble. She is behaving almost impeccably. There is a little bit of growling if they walk past while she is eating, which isn't helped by Marmela stealing her biscuits at every opportunity. I am training her not to go into the kitchen so that the cats have their own space while they are eating. In fact she is quite cautious about coming into rooms... though she does come and sit beside me while I am working.

Mohamed has had his heart set on an Alsation puppy which he would then train to do all sorts of amazing tricks as well as guard me from all potential threats. He was not at all keen on keeping this girl, but has relented, bless him.


We have started going for little walks down to the river and back up... so this will be good exercise for me and yesterday I woke up with her name in my head - Ruby.

Yesterday Marmela and Martha came with us. More to keep an eye on me than to keep Ruby company.

Other news.... well only a week left of Ramadan and the weather has cooled down a bit - thanks goodness for both!