We lost a friend today. Sweet, soulful Ruby... she was never exactly sturdy. You wouldn't pick her in a dogfight. As a watchdog, she wasn't the quickest to warn when a visitor climbed the back stairs. Her delicate stomach barely tolerated food; she subsisted on a rarefied diet of wild game and fruit. She lived through a lot - with the scars to show it. She survived bites and bloat and trauma, with far too frequent trips to the vet. It's astonishing that she lived to twelve - a testament to Tina and Kitty's years of tender, devoted care. But Ruby did much more than survive. She was a lover, a nuzzler, a sharer of kisses and watermelon. She was beautiful, with an elegance that transcended nibbled ear or shopworn coat. More feline than doggish, she'd cuddle and purr on the couch, curled up like a silky comma. She was goofy and playful and stubborn. She also revealed impressive restraint: however uneasy she felt around kids, she never snapped or raised a paw towards the newest, youngest addition to her tribe. Somehow she found room in her old dog's heart for this baby. At her frailest, she always carried herself with grace. Gentle Ruby, you will be missed fiercely.
