Introducing Ruby Adams

For a few months the discussion about getting a second dog had intensified, and while we were on holiday it reached the point of deciding on a breed and a name. When I say “breed” I don’t mean that we were expecting to get a pedigree dog as it would undoubtedly be something small and with a non-moulting coat… probably a poodle cross like our Yorkipoo Missie.

Upon returning from holiday it seemed a good idea to get the puppy into our lives as soon as possible – that would maximise the amount of time to get her house-trained and accustomed to life in our house before Lauren ends her school holidays. Mrs A and Lauren started a search of available puppies and fairly quickly found a number of options. A litter of Shih Tzu / Bichon cross puppies seemed perfect – the right size, non-moulting, ready to collect, and the kind of dog we wanted. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The fact that they were 220 miles away – in Pembroke Dock, Wales – didn’t put me off, and we set off on the long drive. The litter was produced by two family pets – dad was Shih Tzu, mum a Bichon – and three of the six, all girls, were still available. We’d seen photos of all three and had decided to get one of the white pups (the tan coloured one was gorgeous too, it would have been tempting to return with all three), and we selected the pup which seemed quieter and more affectionate.

Ruby, as she was to be named, then met Missie for a couple of minutes to check that they weren’t going to tear chunks out of each other – they mostly ignored each other, which was a good enough sign. So we made the long journey back, stopped a couple of times for toilet breaks, made a quick stop at the pet superstore for some final supplies, and then brought her into her new home. Missie and Ruby continued to ignore each other through the evening, but interacted a bit more today (which mostly consisted of sniffing each other). We had a noisy first night, which was to be expected, but she’s shown some very promising signs for getting house-trained quickly (that may be famous last words).

All-in-all she’s very calm and quiet and seems to be settling in very well. Tomorrow she’s off to the vet for final vaccinations and a check-up.