The Beagle has Landed

Ruby the Beagle has always been somewhat different from other dogs. She has never been a huge fan of exercise, she enjoys lying down, sleeping and doing her rounds along the boundary. At her own pace, of course. Which isn't fast.

She also adores food and eating. With a passion other dogs have for chasing a ball or jumping in a river or romping with their mates. Ruby's obsession for food overrides any semblance of common sense she actually possesses. Ruby in search of food is like watching the Robot out of "Lost in Space", except she doesn't roar "warning Will Robinson!". Her nose bypasses her brain completely en route to her stomach.

Ruby famously escaped from us during our first winter in Heavenly Beverley. We had successfully reduced her girth from a trifle fat to just cuddly, due to a careful reduction of her dinner. On a late afternoon walk, her nose got the better of her and she took off in gay abandon after an irresistible scent. Frankly, we'd never seen her move so fast in her life.

She returned several hours later, long after we'd miserably concluded she'd met a sticky end. We welcomed her like the Prodigal Son. She rewarded our delight by drinking an entire dog bowl of water, spewing spectacularly all over the floor and tottered off to her bed. Needless to say, she was fully recovered by the following morning.

Since then, we thought the fences would contain the Beagle. We were wrong. Several months ago, Ruby began burrowing under our fences, in order to escape to freedom. She was seen everywhere around our end of town. Our friends were asked "who owns the round little Beagle we see trotting down the road"? Ruby's most memorable morning visit was to Guy and Denese's, where she was discovered with her head inside Woody the Cattle Dog's kibble bucket.

After worrying about the prospect of Ruby being shot, poisoned, bitten by a snake or run over, we decided drastic action was called for. So we installed the electric fence with the electric collar. Either Ruby had absolutely no brain or a very high pain tolerance, the "take that, you little cow" zap that was supposed to hit her in the neck had a disappointing effect. She was still excavating under the fence.

A couple of weeks ago, we took her and her disgusting ears to the vets, along with the other dogs. $1200 and an Elizabethan collar later, we returned home, hoping this collar would make it more difficult for her to escape. Or at least slow her down enough for the electric collar's zap to register in her thick skull.

This tactic worked well until we went to Perth for Vanessa's graduation. We asked Lorna to feed the dogs and doctor Ruby's ears. This Lorna did. Except Ruby somehow disposed of the hated Elizabethan collar in our back neighbour's block. We discovered the collar forlornly deserted when we returned home.And retrieved it and returned it to the Beagle's neck.

We were despairing about what to try next. What would slow Ruby down from wanting to leave the property? Then, the miracle presented itself in a most unusual form. Ruby fell in love with a box.

But not just any box. Last Monday we stopped for fruit and vegetable at Hills Fresh in Mundaring. We packed our purchases into a sturdy box. Arriving home, we brought our shopping in and unpacked everything. Then we tossed the box on the floor in our living room..

Ruby hopped in. And lay down. And sighed contentedly. The box has moved from the living room to the laundry to the bathroom. We've added an old towel to the box. Ruby is ecstatic with her box. And she hasn't tried to dig her way out of the property since we brought the box.

We have no idea how long the box will hold Ruby's attention.We are just enjoying the reprieve.

Ruby discovering our saviour, the box.