I'm in an awkward situation. My dad's health is failing and I've been staying with him and his wife. Working from a shop attached to the house with the door open. This is rural southeast USA and dogs sometimes end up running loose and are "neighborhood dogs". This girl and I have taken a shine to each other and she follows me everywhere. I have only facilitated it. Anyhoo, I had mutts as a kid and labs as an adult hunter for serious work. I have been described as being "good with dogs" by others. What would providing a permanent home to this girl have in store for me? I have no experience with the breed. But she is smart and loving. Has more killer instinct in her that she knows. Would love to explore that safely.
Sounds like she is your dog already... My brother had a rhodesian ridgeback,it was a fantastic dog. very protective and smart, tons of energy.
Theo nailed it. Good dogs, smart, can be aggressive if not properly socialized. Death in smaller animals if allowed to be. Work with her on a leash, get her used to the other members of the family. Praise and treats work better than punishment.
I put a collar on her yesterday. She doesn't mind at all. Introduced her to a leash this morning for a minute or so and leaving it on the floor by her bed.
I walk twice a day for exercise. Ruby follows me along and I give her treats for obeying my commands. She still has mostly free reign but I'm closing the doors to the shop at night now. I've never had a dog adopt me. It's kind of fun.
@anomad I think adopting her is a great idea! I would give a small warning thou… I live probably a hour from you and at least locally they have been having a BAD couple of years with “strays” carrying nasty diseases. If you are seriously considering keeping her I would make sure to get her all checked out before you get to attached… I know that sounds horrible… But when I say it’s BAD locally with diseases… I mean BAD…..
Well Dad has gone on to the afterlife and I got a new dog out of the deal. She (Ruby) was running around loose and going into heat right when I went down to stay with him at his death bed. She was needy, I was needy. We bonded, she's my dog now. She needs a bath and a trip to the vet and for Mama to get back home for us to spoil her properly rotten. I'm naming her Ruby Lou S after Dad's initials.
Sorry for the loss of your father. I hope that this your meeting another soul with a place in their heart that needs filling works out well for you both. Take care.!
Thanks Andy. And I will just put this out there.. If anyone wants or needs to talk to some random dude from the internet about elderly/dying parent care please feel free to contact me here. We can connect.
That is kind of you mate. I was the opposite, lost both parents when I was very young. Would have like the last few decades with them.
I’m sorry to hear about the passing of your father as well, but think it’s quite amazing that a new soul came into your life during that same time. My father is almost 80 and we don’t see eye to eye much at all any longer, but I do worry about the day he is gone. My thoughts are with you random Internet stranger.
Ridgebacks are great dogs. I am a dog guy and I always preach that breed is just a starting point specific traits and characters I really more indicative of certain lines than a braid in general but I really see this a lot in ridge back‘s. This old girl has been a fantastic family pet for us she is 12 years old and has slowed down a lot but you could not ask for a sweeter family dog . Interesting thing is even coming from a reputable breeder from a line of dogs that I thought I had researched, her genetic tendency is definitely on the fearful and shy side. We know we are on borrowed time with her she sleeps a lot and it’s hard to keep weight on but even as many dogs as I’ve had I will tell you I’m going to really miss her.
Update: Ruby is settling into being a regular dog just fine. I got her into the first Vet appointment I could find in this area and she checked out just fine. Got all her shots, a chip, and high praises from the staff at the animal hospital. She seems to fit the breed standard - except as a malnourished runt. She weighed in at 49 pounds. Where the breed standard calls for 70 pounds. That would make sense since she's young and was running loose. I've got her trained not to absolutely hate the leash, sit to get treats or her collar, and to snuggle in whatever pillows she can find. I didn't have to do much with the pillows - LOL! Working on separation anxiety now. She is very attached. She might do well in an outdoor skills class. She can dig like a backhoe and is very good at using her knives to modify sticks. Excellent at scenting and chasing small game. But has some room for improvement in actually connecting with them. She can out run a squirrel or rabbit on clear ground. They just know where to hide. A squirrel has moved into the porch roof of our (soon to be) rental house. I'm going to introduce her to "hunting" together with us as a team to exterminate said squirrel. The squirrel probably has 400 pounds of walnuts up there by now. I'll use a suppressed 177 airgun that doesn't make much noise.
Another update on living with Ruby. When I brought her home Mama was away taking care of family matters and I wondered how she would respond with her as part of the pack. Well, she was asleep in Mama's lap about 20 minutes after their meeting as we made the drive home from the airport. She has totally accepted Mama as the alpha female and follows her everywhere and does anything she says. She's turned into a really good dog and a wonderful addition to our lives. She still loves her sofa and keeping an eye on me while I solve peoples problems across the country at work.
Man this brings back memories... My longest best buddy was out in his yard one day back in the late 80s and a Ridgeback just walked up and adopted him. No collar, and no one in the area knew who he belonged to or where he came from. I was not familiar with the breed but he was. Kept him and named him "Simba". Now THAT was a dog! Our last house dog died in '19 and I'd love another one, but we are just too busy with life for another right now but a Rhodesian would be awesome.