Miss Ruby Video

Who refused to follow the rules and lived life to the fullest!

Beautiful Miss Ruby came into rescue in 2006 as a skinny, toothless senior lady with two detached retinas. The whites of her eyes were fire engine red when I first saw her at the Grand Prairie Animal Shelter but when I picked her up, she laid her head on my shoulder as if she realized things were about to change for her. The staff was so excited she was being rescued that they announced it over the speaker system! She had the ability to make every one she met fall instantly in love. Unfortunately, nothing could be done to restore her almost totally lost sight, however, you could not tell her that she had a disadvantage. However, fortunately for her, she lived a charmed life from the day she came into rescue until late Friday afternoon when she laid down for a nap and did not wake up.

Ruby was an amazing, self-assured, opinionated lady who wanted her way when she wanted it! With the little vision she had left, she was very curious, highly independent and had no trouble getting around to check everything out. Despite the lack of any teethshe ate EVERYTHING....hard or soft. She stood up for herself and would go on the attack if you got in her way. Being basically blind and toothless, according to the rules, Ruby should not have been able to defend herself nor be so independent, should have required soft food and should have needed assistance with most everything.But nothing was farther from her reality.

In the summer of 2007, Ruby had two heart episodes requiring hospitalization, both times in an oxygen tentbasically, the muscles around her heart snapped. At that time, she was placed on pimobendan/vetmedin which was not yet FDA approved and had to be ordered out of the country. She thrived on that along with other standard heart meds. When I took her home from the hospital the second time in August, 2007, I asked if I could hope for Christmas 2007 but they said Thanksgiving might be a more appropriate target. Well Miss Ruby sure proved them wrong just as she had denied conventional wisdom about her "limitations"!

Vetmedin is a drug that helps in many heart scenarios, greatly improving the life and health of dogs with diminishing heart capacity. I told Ruby's doctors that I would like something like that prescribed for me. Ruby acted at least 3-4 years younger after starting on it. She was happy, energetic and never had a bad day once she started taking it. Docs say vetmedin typically extends the quality of life for 6-9 months, sometimes more, but Miss Ruby again refused to follow the rules and made it almost two whole years! Her doctor was quite surprised when I contacted him recently to renew her prescription after it had expired!

Though feisty and determined, she was incredibly loving and just magnetic. She drew you in with that spunky personality. When my Mom fell ill in late 2007, Ruby visited her in the hospital. It was one of the last times my Mom was coherent and also one of the last times my Mom ever smiled, snuggling with Ruby in the hospital bed! That is a beautiful memory that will live with me forever.

Thursday night, Ruby was right there in the middle of the crowd noisily demanding attention and her treats at the neighborhood doggie social event. And Friday morning, she was very insistent when I was somewhat delayed in passing out the morning meds. She was running up there right in front of the crowd to be the first to get her meds and treat.

The one last gift Ruby received was to be able to live life at her 100% up to the last minute. Friday was just like any other day and she was napping in the afternoon when her breathing started to fail. I was preparing a portable bed for her and gathering up my things to rush to the hospital when she slipped away to run free with our other babies on the other side of the Rainbow. She looked incredibly sweet, as if just napping. It was terribly hard to realize that she was no longer sleeping here on earth but rather resting with the angels.

My life was enormously enriched having her as part of it and I am so thankful to have shared the happy twilight of her life. She was an absolute joy every single day I was fortunate enough to be able to share with her. And what a blessing for her to have lived so well and to simply drift away in her sleep. She so deserved this last act of grace for her.

Beautiful Miss Ruby now lives forever on the other side of the Rainbow. She was a sparkler!

I miss her so..