The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Ruth & Rosie – 1 Year Later

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    Ruth Carter

    I’ve officially had my rescue basset hound Rosie for a year! I love my dog.

    Pet me pleaseAnd can I just say that I won the dog lottery when I got this creature? She’s so sweet, well-behaved, and just a good dog. Her worst habit, which I find endearing, is the fact that she howls when the phone rings. When she wants attention and you’re sitting down, she walks up to you and puts her head on your knee or the chair – whichever her head can reach.

    She’s a basset, so she’s a bit stubborn by nature. When we go walking, she’s not an alpha dog, so she doesn’t like it when people or other dogs are walking behind her. She just plops her butt down and waits for you to come to her, hopefully give her attention, and then follow you after you pass. At 60 pounds, she’s quite an anchor when she wants to be.

    I’ve tracked her likes and dislikes on Facebook this year. It’s been pretty fun to see what turns her crank:

    • Rosie Likes: rawhide bones, tennis balls, belly rubs, fish, beef, chicken, rice, apples, mango, pineapple, peanut butter & butternut squash.
    • Rosie Dislikes: squeaky toys, stuffed animals, strawberries, lemon, carrots, & celery.

    Rosie BoneI love my baby girl. I nearly cry every time I have to travel and leave her at the kennel (or “camp” as I call it). I can’t sleep when she’s having medical issues – like when she got a lung infection. I was up every couple of hours to make sure she was breathing. Then there was the time I learned the hard way that she’s allergic to fabric softener. She was wheezing until I ripped the recently-washed sheet off her bed at 1:30 in the morning.

    Did I mention Rosie’s smart? She knows she’s not allowed on the couch, so she doesn’t do it when I’m around, but occasionally I’ll find a throw pillow on the floor from when she knocked it off while finding a place to snuggle in. She also knows where the UPS Store keeps the dog treats and will help herself to one if the box isn’t kept out of her reach.

    So here’s to my baby, Rose Louise Carter, and to many more years together.

    Belly Rub Please

  • Undeniable Recap of 2012

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    Ruth Carter

    Ruth Carter, ABA Legal Rebel
    Photo by Don McPhee Photography

    It’s been an incredible year! Looking back, so much has changed and so many wonderful things have happened for me this year – personally and professionally. I never could have predicted so many good things happening. Of course, I didn’t get here alone and I want to thank all the friends, family, and colleagues who helped make this year fan-fucking-tastic. It was hard to pick the top five events from this year, but here you go!

    1.  Carter Law Firm Opened!  I opened my own law practice on January 4, 2012 and I’m happy to report that I’m still in business and haven’t been disbarred. It’s been an amazing year creating and building my own business with all the trials and tribulations that go along with that. I love my work and I’m so lucky that I get to build the professional life I’ve always wanted as the approachable geeky lawyer who wears t-shirts and does awesome work. I love that I’m building my niches in social media and flash mob law and being invited to do things like speak at major conferences.

    ruthcover smaller2.  My First Book  I wrote and self-published The Legal Side of Blogging: How Not to get Sued, Fired, Arrested, or Killed. I’ve always wanted to write a book and all the pieces fell into place to make it happen. The book has been well received so far and appears to be opening the door for more books. Special hat tip to ePublish Unum for teaching me everything I know about self-publishing.

    3.  ABA Legal Rebel  I’ve always looked up to the American Bar Association Legal Rebels, but in my wildest dreams I did not expect to be picked to join this illustrious group only months after becoming a lawyer. I’m tickled that they chose me because of my work in flash mob law.

    Rosie!
    Rosie!

    4.  I Got A Dog!  Adopting Rosie from the Arizona Basset Hound Rescue was probably the biggest life changing event of this year. It had been years since I had a pet and because of her we go walking every day and I’m on a more structured schedule. She can melt my heart with one look and it was so hard to leave her at the kennel for a few days. I love the way she looks when she runs and how she howls at the phone.

    5.  Half Marathon Personal Record  This may seem petty, but it was a big deal to me to finish the race under two hours. I was blown away when I heard I finished the race in 1:52. I’d never run that hard for so long before. It was a great experience to do so well.

     

    Celebrity Encounters in 2012

     

    Firsts in 2012

    • handstand bean1st trip to Chicago where I leave the airport – included my 1st ride on the L Train and my 1st visit to Cloud Gate (The Bean)
    • 1st trip to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
    • Bought my 1st Powerball ticket
    • 1st time using Survey Monkey and Mail Chimp
    • 1st time at Phoenix Comicon
    • 1st time owning a pet that wasn’t formerly a family pet
    • 1st business trip to San Francisco
    • Sent my 1st DMCA Takedown Notice
    • Put up my 1st yarn bomb
    • 1st trip to the ABA TechShow
    • 1st YouTube channel

    In Memorium

    • Peg Grucky
    • David Malcolm

    This has been an incredible year. I’m excited for what’s to come next!

  • I Got A Dog

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    Ruth Carter

    I adopted a basset hound this year. Her name is Rosie. We’ll celebrate two months together this week. I never thought my landlords (aka parents) would agree to let me get a pet, and I was shocked when they said “Yes” after two years of prodding.

    I adopted Rosie from the Arizona Basset Hound Rescue. After I passed my interview and my home inspection, they started sending me picture of prospective dogs, and to be honest, I wasn’t that enthused by Rosie when I first saw her. Her head looked too small for her body in her picture but she was the right age (four years old) and her foster parents lived close by so I agreed to do a meet and greet. I knew within minutes of seeing her that she was my dog.

    I was so nervous about becoming responsible for another life. I had never owned a dog that I was solely responsible for. I’m so grateful to my friends who have dogs and the clerks at PetSmart for helping me make sure I had everything Rosie would need.

    Rosie’s had mostly a good life from what I was told. Her first owner took excellent care of her for about four years but then his job situation changed and he didn’t think it was fair to be away from home for as long as his job required. He supposedly thought he lined up a good home for her, but she ended up with someone who neglected her. Her nails looked like they were never trimmed so they got way too long and curved under her paws. Thank goodness she ended up at the basset rescue after only a few months in that situation.

    Rosie is the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet. She has the cutest face and she is a total attention whore. We go walking twice a day and she has become one of the darlings of the neighborhood. She’s mostly mellow and well-behaved. We usually play with her ball every day.  Sometimes I roll it and she retrieves it and sometimes I roll it at her and she acts like a goalie. Sometimes she likes to throw the ball for herself and chase after it. It’s so cute.

    When I first met Rosie, I tried to make her howl but nothing worked. I mainly wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t howl when I sang. After I had her for a few weeks, I learned that the only thing that makes her howl is the sound of a ringing telephone. It makes me laugh every time she does it.

    Sometimes I look at Rosie and it’s so surreal that I have her.  Having a dog that sleeps at my feet in my office was part of my master plan for my law firm. We’re still working the kinks out of our relationship. She’s not always excited about meal time or walking at my desired pace, but I really couldn’t ask for a better dog.

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