Ruby Tuesday

It was a Tuesday when he got the Maremma puppies.  My new friend, the elderly gentleman who has Millie's mother, got all five puppies.  The owner is an impatient man and threatened to shoot them to get rid of them.  And at one third of what I paid for Millie, yes, we'd take one of the puppies.

There were three females and two males and he wanted to keep the males.  So, my neighbour and I went over on the Friday to pick out our puppies.  Hubby and I had wanted to go together but he was not available and someone else was coming for a puppy on Saturday morning.

Ruby came up to me several times and sat down for a good scratch, which none of the others did.  Ruby was the smallest of the litter but that didn't matter to me.  She is three months old.

Coming down the road to the house she puked.  My poor car; I put it through so much.

I had prepared a pen for her, one in which she could get in and out but the sheep cannot.  The sheep will bash her before accepting her.  The dog needs its own safe space to call its own.  I pulled the car through the gate and right up to the barn, then carried Ruby into the barn and heaved her over into her pen.  She is solid.  She stayed in the pen, exhausted, stressed, sick.

The pups had been well handled by grandchildren.  They had been living with sheep and were also used to chickens.  Llamas are very new to Ruby.  The adult parents were on the farm.  And the puppies are related to my neighbour's amazing Maremma, Charlie.

I gave Ruby some water and cleaned up my car.  I checked on her every few minutes and she just stayed put in the pen.  A little while later the dairy farmer arrived with a wagon load of second cut hay.  Ruby fell asleep nearby as we unloaded and stacked the hay.  I fed her some kibble.  She stayed in her pen and slept for the remainder of the afternoon.  She was upside down and looking very content.  I had locked the sheep out of the barn for the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening she ate up her kibble again which was followed by some dry heaves.  She explored a little bit, returning always to the barn.  The barn quickly became her safe place. 

The sheep did not want to go into the barn at night.  They did not want that dog-thing in there.  I bribed them with grain and Smudge - oh so food focused - was first into the barn.  Ruby stayed snug in her pen while the sheep took turns stamping their front leg, one of few offensive behaviours they possess.

On Saturday morning Ruby came out to the field with Millie and I.  She kept going to the sheep and they kept trotting away from her.  All the while Millie just ignored Ruby.  Then Millie came closer to me and it was Ruby that was aggressive with Millie, growling with high scruff.  I told them both to behave and they did.  There was one deep growl from Millie and that was it - for now.

Ruby already knows her name.  She is learning that I do not like to be jumped on and that "off!" can be followed with a good shove.  "Ah, ah, ah!"  receives a very quick response.  I suspect she has already been corrected for chasing and trying to play with the sheep.  She knows when I ask her to slow down and will sit and wait for me to say it's okay to move forward again.

When I returned to the house she eventually slid under the fence or gate and followed me toward the house.  Beau saw her and chased her.  Ruby ran up and into the barn.  Tonight I took Beau up to the barn on a leash.  Ruby clearly defended her barn with barking, growling and raised scruff.  It was some time before she backed down.  Beau of course does not care, really.  He is not aggressive and barely cares to be assertive.  Unless his ball is concerned...

We watched her this evening after the sheep were tucked into the barn with her.  Ruby came out of her pen and laid near the chicken area where she can see outside.  Coyotes began howling across the road and Millie began her night time barking routine.  Ruby did not bark.  It was safe in her barn.  The sheep stamped their feet and kept their distance.

We are pleased with Ruby.  The long range goal I have at present is to breed her.  For now, she needs to grow up.  She really is just a baby Maremma.  It amazes me how smart she is and how instinctive the protective aspects are for these dogs.  Stay tuned for more Ruby stories.