We sent Ruby yesterday to join her companion Max. Max had left us back in July 2015. She could no longer stand, let alone walk, and slept nearly the entire time over the weekend and Monday. Yet she still recognized when Annie was getting fed and would raise her head, letting us know she wanted some food as well. We lavished her with peanut butter laced with her final medications, as well as little treats. And lots of rubs and kisses.

And she still smiled that sweet Ruby smile when she was awake.

Ruby leaves behind her companion Annie, who it shocks me to realize is nine years old, and will be ten next Valentine’s Day.

No tribute to little Ruby would be complete without a photo of her with her companion Max. Ruby was always friendly with her companions, both canine and feline, but Max was her first, and a bit more special to her than all the others I think. She always remembered Max, and if I made the mistake of mentioning his name in her presence, she would always look up as if expecting him to re-appear. Dogs never forget, especially female Labs. I saw the same behavior with Katie when Rhett left us.

While we still have a vibrant Annie, and six healthy cats, there is a Ruby-sized hole in the household at the moment. She will be missed, as they have all been.