Photos from April [19 images].
Ruby graduated from puppy class after 6 weeks of fun and frolic, finishing off with some sensory overload in the form of an obstacle course with everything from tunnels to A-frames. She did really well throughout the class, and we look forward to Obedience, Level I starting soon!

Much of April was very dry, and Ruby spent a lot of time enjoying the backyard and building up some muscle flying across the fields. She spent a lot of time chasing after her sister, and is growing up quickly!

April was also the month when Ruby finally got to meet her other grand-parents, who awakened from winter hibernation in Florida to shower Ruby with hugs and kisses as soon as they got back home!

Photos from March [18 images].
Puppy class has been going well, and even included a fashion show, an exercise to get the dogs used to being handled.

We also had another trip to the vet for the final round of vaccinations. Ruby's ear infection is still lingering, so we did another round of drops and everything seems to be cleared up now.

Ruby and Calli have been getting along much better, and are enjoying the spring melt and being able to run around in the grass. Ruby also made new friends this month, with Betsy (the three legged Beagle) and Rudy, Calli's Jack Russell boyfriend, paying a visit with Casey. Ruby enjoyed the noisemakers from Scott's birthday, and had fun exploring Huntmar on a hike with Karl & Heidi.

We've posted a gallery of pictures from February [30 images], which has been a busy month for Ruby! She had visits from her Aunt Casey, her new Best Friend Deb (and Jason, Victor, Lena & Jacob), her Grandparents (on her mom's side), a visit to the vet, and her first bath! She also started puppy class this week at Carolark, The Centre for Applied Canine Behaviour.

The trip to the vet (Carp Road Animal Hospital) was, overall, a good experience. Ruby didn't put up much fuss, and lots of treats, gentle hands, and a waiting room full of Girl Guides (earning a veterinary badge) made it pretty exhilirating. She does, however, have a minor ear infection, so a good cleaning and a week of antibiotic drops are underway.

Puppy class was also a great experience. We had started with an orientation class for "parents only", so this was the first time the puppies all got together. There are supposed to be 9 puppies in the class (including another Ruby!), but only 5 made an appearance at this first class. Ruby did very well and participated in a lot of demonstrations. She was by far the smallest dog there, but made up for it with enthusiasm!

Assorted photos [10 images] from Ruby's first month in her new home. This includes some snuggling with her sister and discovering the cold, snowy outdoors. She also started to get a bit annoyed with the vaccuum cleaner, and decided that it needed to be "taken care of".

Some pictures from Ruby's moving day [12 images], when we brought her home. We'd taken the Friday off work to go get her, and it was a beautiful, crisp day. We bundled her up, and put her in the crate for the 1h+ drive home, and she seemed pretty comfortable. At home, we kept things quiet and kept Ruby close, making sure she had time to adjust at her own pace. We knew Calli would be a tough sell - she's been the only (spoiled rotten) pet for many years, and this was quite an upheaval for her. But, no blood, no foul, and introductions went OK, vocals aside. We also took the Monday & Tuesday off, to give as much buffer as possible before shocking Ruby with the reality of a full work day alone. Fortunately, she seems happy in her crate, especially with her new "mom" close by.

A gallery from our first visit [12 images] to see the litter of puppies, at 4 weeks of age. There were 7 puppies: 4 females (3 liver & white, 1 orange & white), and 3 males (all orange & white). Our intention was to choose an orange & white male - orange & white because we preferred that colouring, and a male because we imagined our older Brittany (Calli, 9.5 years old at the time) would adjust better with a boy instead of another girl. Well, after visiting and having pick of the litter, we decided on Ruby. She had a wonderful manner - not overly aggressive or needy, but almost regal in how she just sat there and knew you would come to her. We changed our opinion about liver & white after meeting Ruby's mom, Lizzy, and Ruby's own markings, with a prominent blaze and not too much brown.