In my past life as a Labrador fancier, I was used to big, slobbery dogs with oral fixations. Everything was about their mouths. They were lickers and couldn’t be happy unless they had a toy in their mouths. Retrievers focus on carrying things.
Ruby, on the other hand, is a digger. Terriers, by definition, are of the earth. And, she’s an excellent earth dog. She is also way more paw-oriented than I am used to. She plays with her paws, uses them as tools, jumps up at you and paws you. And, just for a moment, take a look at those paws — tiny, delicate, long with little needle tips on each little toelet.
She regularly scratches us in her enthusiasm to play. Her claws are lethal, if tiny, weapons. She’s fierce with them and playful with them.
The one really good thing is that I can clip them with regular human fingernail clippers. They are tiny and quick and easy to clip.
And, she has just that one black toenail on her long, delicate paw.
mother. wife. friend. teacher. writer. reader. photographer. birder. quilter. blogger.
Such a perfect Ruby Tuesday and love the one black toenail! BTW: I voted for you at 10,000birds!
We have the same life with the dog paws. One of my Bostons is a digger. When either of them want attention, they use their feet like Ruby. And their claws are lethal. I’d show you the scarring on my arms and hands! But, they are so cute when the use their little hands to play, agree?
oral fixation? yeah.. we have that here.
Nellie used to need to chew….but thank the stars she grew out of that!
Holes in the carpet, half-eaten socks, ripped books…argh.