Category: Ruby

monday morning minutes

whbeebe
Luke

After living with us now for over three years, the Gingers have long learned about, and inserted themselves into, the many rituals around the house. For example, every morning I fix some sort of breakfast, Luke will leap up onto the counter and sit in front of the microwave while I work further down over the stove. He’s always hopeful something interesting might fall to the floor. Most mornings nothing does, but every once in a while something does, and he immediately checks it out and eats it if he deems it worthy. He has a bit appetite for cheese and the occasional bit of cooked egg, and he loves to clean off the tip of my knife after I use it to spread salmon cream cheese on my toasted bagels.

This morning I had to take both of the girls over to see the vet and get their flu shots. Taking them anywhere together is challenging, the vet even more so. I was fortunate this morning that there were no other patients in the vet’s office when we were there, but still. The girls love their car rides over to the vets, where they’re made a fuss over. As usual Ruby the yellow gained a pound. Annie surprised me by losing a pound, so I guess Annie gave her’s to Ruby. Otherwise they’re both totally healthy little characters.

Annie’s tongue
A more dignified Ruby

our ‘girls’ are doing just fine

whbeebe

The past few days have been warm enough that I’ve been out in the pool with my wife doing our water therapy. That’s been ongoing since last Friday afternoon when I came home from work. It’s warm enough that even the girls come out and lounge by the pool.Ruby turned 10 back in August. She still has that big, beautiful Lab head, and her ears are still in perfect form. But Labs begin to turn white around their muzzle and head. If you look carefully, you can see white shading into the standard light ginger color of a Yellow lab, and especially under her eyes, down the muzzle, and to her mouth. We’ve owned both Chocolate and Black Labs, and when they went white it stood out against their dark coats. But Yellows don’t have that “issue” and you can’t tell they’re turning white due to age unless you look very carefully…
Annie’s a Doodle with a Standard Poodle’s coat. She’s nearly four (her birthday is Valentine’s day) so she should be really coming into her own. Unfortunately, Annie’s coat already has all sorts of color scattered across her black coat, from silver to ginger. You can see the ginger color on her muzzle in the photo above. Having never cared for a Doodle before I have no idea how she will age or how long she’ll live. But I hope she has a good long life like every other Lab we’ve ever had, which is on average between 15 and 16 years.