Ruby recently gained popularity when her inspiring story was turned into a movie by the giant streaming company Netflix. Unbeknownst to many, Ruby also received recognition for her heroic acts. She won the 2018 Hero Dog Awards in the Search and Rescue category. The award came from American Humane, a prestigious group dedicated to promoting the welfare of animals.
Ruby’s story
Before becoming an award-winning search and rescue dog, Ruby went through a difficult life. When she was only about five months old, she was surrendered to a shelter in Rhode Island because she was unmanageable. She got into the cycle of being adopted and then returned several times, all because she was hard to manage.
Thankfully, a shelter volunteer named Patricia Inman saw great potential in Ruby. She knew that Ruby was exceptional despite being a handful at times, so she did her best to find a suitable owner who could understand Ruby. During that time, Corporal Daniel O’Neil needed a new dog to be part of the K-9 unit, and he decided to take a chance on Ruby.
Corporal O’Neil had to do training customized for the shelter dog, Ruby. The determined dog did her best, and eventually, all her hard work paid off. She completed her training with flying colors, and since then, she has been serving her community.
One day, Ruby and Corporal O’Neil were tasked to look for a boy missing for about 36 hours. After hours of searching, Ruby found the boy, and he was in grave condition. The medics immediately brought the boy to the hospital. It was fortunate that Ruby found him at once, or else, he wouldn’t have made it.
The boy turned out to be Patricia Inman’s son. And though Patricia and Ruby hadn’t seen each other for years before the incident, Ruby immediately recognized Patricia. It was as if they never got separated at all. Patricia was grateful for Ruby’s heroism, and she was right; Ruby is indeed exceptional!
Get to know more about Ruby in the video below.
Credits: American Humane via YouTube
