My Best Friend (The Furry Kind)

As much as I might like to think that I'm "Queen of the House" that title really goes to our dog, Ruby.  She rules and protects this house- and pretty much gets whatever she wants!

I was rocking Anniston in her nursery the other day and noticed how Ruby always comes in there with us and sits on the rug while we read or or rock.  In general, she moves with us from room to room and sits and watches us play.  I had a really bad dream a couple of nights ago about Ruby getting sick and it got me thinking how much I love her.  I've wanted to do a post about Ruby for awhile now so that later on when she's gone I (and Anniston) will remember how much we enjoyed having her in our lives.

Growing up, I was never a dog person.  I just wasn't around them much.  When Brandon and I got married I felt like we needed a furry little friend- someone for me to nurture and take care of because we knew we wanted to wait awhile before having kids.  I didn't really care what kind of dog we got- I was inclined to get a small dog that would be cute and cuddle with me but I was open to Brandon's suggestions.  He wanted a boxer.  His best friend growing up had a boxer and Brandon loved going over there to play with him.  Research has shown that boxers are very kid friendly, so that was important as well.

I did all the "shopping" for our new addition.  I found an ad in the newspaper for some brindle puppy boxers out on a farm in Jackson, TN (my hometown.)  I didn't know what a brindle was but the price was good and I knew the area where the farm was and felt good about it.  That next weekend, Brandon and I drove to Jackson, picking up my dad along the way (he's a HUGE dog lover) and went out to see the puppies.  There were only two puppies left- a boy and a girl.  We wanted a girl so we really didn't have much of a choice in picking her out if we decided to get her.  I was surprised when we saw her- she wasn't the light brown color I had always associated boxers with.  She was darker and striped like a tiger- a brindle. I guess I had just assumed that the one girl that was left was one that no one else had wanted but I couldn't imagine any of her sisters being more beautiful that she.  The owner later told me that she had thought she was the prettiest from the very beginning. I instantly fell in love.  The owners let her out of the gate to run around and play with us and she started to chase the chickens on the farm- it was so funny!  Brandon and I knew she was going to be ours.

(Ruby is the one on the left) 

She is treated just like any member of the family- she sleeps with us, has her very own spot on the couch, and has her very own locker:

Ruby has been so good with Anniston.  We seriously could not have asked for a better dog.  She is very protective of her when people come over to the house.  She runs outside to greet us when we get home, sniffing of Anniston and wagging her tail.

I feel as if she has been a little more clingy with me in these past couple of months.  Whichever room I go to in the house, Ruby follows.  She will lay on the bathroom floor while I take a shower, she will sit on her couch while Anniston and I play, and she will follow me to the kitchen whenever I go to fix something to eat or to get Anniston's bottle ready.  Sometimes she will follow me out to the car in the mornings while I load Anniston up.  She even gets up with us in the middle of the night if Anniston wakes up.  I know her and Anniston are going to be great friends.

Ruby is my first baby and I love her so much.  I don't know what we did to deserve such a good dog, but we are very grateful for all the joy she has brought to our lives!


Sorry for the picture overload!