Ruta is a revived picture from childhood.

We had cups at home when we were kids. Six pieces, German, each depicts the muzzle of a dog of some breed. They got them on holidays, and I always zealously watched that the most beloved one went to me. There are already three of them left, a glass with my red, furry, unknown breed dog is with me.

And I dreamed about such a muzzle all my childhood. First, Kuzya appeared at my place, as the veterinarian wrote in the passport, “m. lap dog”, which means mestizo. Shaggy, but not red. Then Zhonechka, a dog of black color, smooth-haired.

And four years ago, fate threw me a doggy, funny, shy and smart. 

Ruta was given to us for overexposure. My cat died the day before, but here you need to hold the dog. They brought it. She sat down on the sofa and was silent. Andrey came, she didn’t get off the sofa, she just began to growl. He gave her a chicken bone, and that’s all – love.

She was almost smooth-haired, only thickets on her paws. Then she ate, overgrown. Horror, as we say, a dog is a winter version. She is also a furry Yeti in the summer. Twice they showed it to one of the potential owners, hoping very much that they would not like it. And so it turned out. We decided that it was our dog. We sterilized it at the expense of Aegis. What can I say about Ruta?

• She is very smart! She was brought up in a pack, so there was no need to explain who was in charge. Knows his place the first time. Never guessed. Never! I learned to ride in the elevator the second time. The first time I went in, the cabin moved – the dog fell to the floor in a stupor. The second time I went in, I sat down and looked. Then I learned to go on command.
• Knows the commands “Give a paw”, “Sit”. Distinguishes “come here” from “come here”.

• Not false. At first, they thought that they could not bark at all.
• Sings if you help her. Say “Ruta, song!” and howl a little. Everything, such roulades …
• Catches mice. Moreover, he knows who is in charge, and on command gives the prey.
• He likes to catch and eat wasps very much, he will have a bite quickly and swallow. This is Russian roulette.
• Do not be ashamed to take with you, behaves decently. We went on a trip to the south of the republic, walked around the cities on a leash, everything is worthy. In the tent, she also behaved like a member of the pack.
• A little shunned by small dogs, maybe he remembers his puppies. The vet said that it was the first estrus – and immediately 5 puppies. And she is still a puppy.
• He loves the local Staffordshire monster Bundy. Everyone is afraid of him, the owners specially take him out at night. And Ruta lies straight in front of him and spreads.
• He does not know how to play with objects and in general with us. The whole joy is to run fast in circles. Neither the ball nor the sock takes anything, but if you push it in, it immediately gives it away – the leader takes it.

• Sometimes he comes in the evening, lies down next to him, stretches out like a man. Lie down for a couple of minutes and leave. He does not sleep with us and does not try to climb into bed.
• He eats everything, but goes crazy over herring. Once, on New Year’s Eve, I cleaned for a fur coat, so she ate exactly half of the plate. This was the only time she took something from the table and without asking at all. You can put the meat on the floor and say “no” – will not take it. And no one taught especially. She just knows her place in the pack.
• He swims with us in the pond in the summer, although he does not like it, but again, the flock swims together.
• We went to the forest, so she ate blueberries from a bush, it was funny to watch. We collect, and she is so neat am-am from the bush.

I am not a mystic, and not a particularly religious person, so, a homegrown agnostic. But I believe that wishes come true. True, without any system and logic from the side of the universe.The photos were taken by Tatyana Prokopchik especially for the project “Two legs, four paws, one heart”.