Ruby is the beautiful shepherd that I posted in the last post.  We got her as a rescue from German Shepherd Rescue. Katie and I drove to Raleigh to pick her up and she was a bit like a zombie when we got her.  Once we had her home for a while she became the most loving dog we've ever owned.  If she had been smaller she would have been a lap dog.  The rescue group said that when they found her she was about nine months old and had already had a litter of pups.  Don't think she had a very good life then.  She grew to be 120 pounds -- the biggest female shepherd I've ever seen.  That size was her demise though leading to arthritis all up her spine.  She lived to ten years and we had to put her down in December.  We've all been in mourning, but I like to think she's got a new frisky body and warming up some family's lives.