Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Good with kids,
Good with dogs,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Hi, friends!
My name is, Ruca Ru Ru Bat Ears Babe. But you can call me, Ruca or Ru Ru, for short.
I’ve been with AHL (Animal Heartline) for quite a while and I’ve seen more than a few dogs come and go. Sadly, I’ve been on medical hold because I was heartworm positive. But I’ve officially finished my treatments and will be ready to go to a home very soon. It’s my time to shine and I’m now accepting adoption applications!
I am a female, pit mix, estimated to be around 3 years old. I was surrendered with a male pit mix (Lemmy), to a shelter in Chicago. The AHL volunteers aren’t sure if Lemmy is my brother, son or mate (they do think I had puppies at some point).
Our original owner pulled up to the shelter, with both of us in the back of a pickup truck, and surrendered us. We lived outside together and were both in bad shape. It was clear, we were not treated well. Although I was skinny, Lemmy was completely emaciated. I turned out to be heartworm positive though and Lemmy was not. A couple ladies from AHL came to visit us in November of 2019 and made it their mission to come back for us. On 12/5/19, we got to leave the shelter with AHL! It was touch and go for a while with our health but both myself and Lemmy are doing great now! When I was pulled from the shelter, I weighed in at 34lbs and today, I’m 48lbs (very compact and small though)! But let’s get to the more exciting info about my personality.
Do you like to be happy?? You do??!! Me too!! I am the happiest, bounciest, little kangaroo of a dog there ever was. I have ZERO boundaries. I will be all up in your business. If I’m your dog, your business is my business too! Did you think you were going to sit alone, go to the bathroom alone or even shower alone? Nope. I’m coming. All things you may currently do alone, will now involve me! I LOVE people. Big people, small people, short people, tall people. ALL the people. I’m a social butterfly.
I’m potty trained, crate trained and walk well on leash. I sleep in my crate all night and am in a great routine. I am dog friendly and when I first met all the dogs in my foster home, I just ran around and kissed all their faces. None of them even minded! I was just so thrilled and had such good energy, I fit into my foster home pretty easily. I’ve gotten quite comfortable in my foster home though so I am a little more vocal when seeing new dogs or when new dogs come into the house. I start to bark a lot when I see a dog I can’t get to. I feel a deep need to meet that dog ASAP, but my foster family says we need to take our time and I need to play it cool with new dogs. If I want a boy dog to put a ring on it, I need to keep composed. Apparently, no one likes a needy girl. Who knew??!
REMINDER: Lemmy is up for adoption too! Our dream scenario would have Lemmy and myself, reunited in our furever home. But that is just a hope, not a requirement. I currently live with multiple males and one female. Although I get along with the female, my dog match in a furever home, would be a male. No females, please.
My manners are a work in progress. I’m just so excited, it’s hard to think straight when you exude happiness! I am still learning that counter surfing isn’t appropriate. And to provide you fair warning, if you walk away from a meal, it will be gone when you come back. I’ll look at you, give you the world’s best head tilt and pretend like I have no idea where your meal went. I’m pretty sure I’ve convinced all the kids in the house that a ghost steals their food. They aren’t the brightest crayons in the box. But I do love those kids (ages 5, 7 & 12). My foster mom just laughs when this happens. She says that if those kids can’t learn to put their food in a “Ruca safe” spot, she doesn’t feel bad for them. I am doing my part by providing natural consequences for the kids. Basically, I’m a super helpful teacher.
Because I am such a joyful girl, I do jump when I’m excited. But I’m very smart and my foster mom has said I’d excel in training because I’m very treat motivated. Once I’m given the “all clear” from the vet to no longer try to restrict my activity (due to heartworm treatment), I would love to do some training with a new family.
I like car rides, smiling, head tilts, cuddling, and I have an impressive array of photos where I’m making my foster mom crazy, with my lack of boundaries. We could make a slideshow with the amount of awkward pictures I have with her. That’s actually a brilliant idea! Stay tuned, there may be a ‘Ruca slideshow of awkwardness’ in the future. But my foster mom does a great job, embarrassing herself on a daily basis, without my help. Let’s get me adopted and save her the shame of broadcasting even more awkward photos.
Although my foster family will be sad to see me go, I’ve filled a spot for another foster dog, for months now. It’s time for me to find my family and give my spot to another dog in need. If you’re interested in meeting me, please fill out an application at animalheartline.org and my foster mom will contact you. I’m spayed, microchipped and vaccinated. And because this is my first “official” post saying we can accept applications, there’s months worth of pictures of me. I’m the cutest! You’re welcome!
