Ruby came to GGBR from Monterey County where she and another female basset were abandoned near a farm workers camp. She's clearly had a couple litters of pups, and I suspect she came from a puppy mill, where she would have been surrounded by lots of other females. Ruby needs this companionship and would not be happy in a home where she's the only dog....and you can't help but want to make this precious girl happy.

She's such a sweetheart. Right away I could tell she's well socialized with people. When I'm home, she's my shadow, following me in and out of the house and all over the yard. She LOVES her people. If you stop walking around and turn and look down at her, she'll just look at you and melt into a puddle on the floor, belly exposed and tail wagging. She LOVES to have her belly rubbed.

The first few weeks at our home were a little much for her, as we have 3 other dogs. She became good buddies with our two females pretty quickly, but took several more weeks to adjust to having a male dog around. After that time, she's completely adjusted has become a member of the pack. She loves to play and run around with our girls, and for our lone boy, loves to "lazy play" with him (which is what we call it when they're both lazily laying on the floor but still mouthing and pawing at each other).

Another funny little thing about this girl is that she's a cleptomaniac. Often, foster dad will work on projects in the livingroom while watching tv, or in the garage. If he leaves a nut, or a bolt, or a screw, or a small piece of plastic - anything that could be a morsel of something awesome - she takes it and slowly slinks away. She doesn't eat it, but stashes it somewhere out of the way. She also likes to chew on the tags on our laptop cords - crinkly toys are her favorite, not squeakers.

Last, but not least, Ruby is great with other creatures. We have a cat and Ruby pays her no mind. We have 6 chickens, and they don't phase her one bit. She's shared a pile of chip crumbs with the hens, and even had her nipples pecked by one of them and she didn't react at all. She's also good with children.

Ruby is a very special girl and you can't help but love her. She needs an environment with other dogs. She also needs her new forever home to be patient with her while she adjusts to her new playmates. She will snap at them and bare her teeth if she feels they're invading her space, but it will fade with time. She doesn't have food aggression (in fact, she won't eat alone, the others must be eating too). She's had a short, hard life, and while she can be a little cranky, she has a lot of love to give once she realizes everything is gonna be OK.