Every dog is unique. They all have their own personality and behavior, which means that there’s always a dog for every person. Many dogs display behavior that most people can’t keep up with. These dogs are often returned to shelters soon after they get adopted because of their unmanageable behavior.
In North Kingstown, Rhode Island, a shelter dog named Ruby was returned four times after she was adopted. Nobody seemed to be able to keep up with Ruby’s behavior. People who tried adopting Ruby described her as unmanageable, aggressive to children and other pets, and destructive. All these things pointed to her getting euthanized.
Fortunately, a volunteer dog trainer at the shelter named Patricia Inman worked very hard to keep Ruby alive. Patricia knew that there’s something special about Ruby, and she spent a lot of time training Ruby to become adoptable. Patricia saw that Ruby had the potential to be a great dog despite having challenging behavior.
Patricia knew that Ruby was too much for a regular family and that Ruby needed a special person to adopt her. Ruby needed a family that can keep up with her energetic personality and someone who can understand her needs. So, Patricia decided to do something outside of what they usually do at the shelter.
Ruby was only two hours away from getting euthanized when Patricia convinced the shelter to give Ruby a chance. Patricia was able to convince the director of operations of the shelter, Joe Warzycha, to help her find the family that Ruby needs.
Joe talked to his friend, Matthew Zarrella, who happened to be a part of the Rhode Island State Police. At that time, Matthew was organizing the K9 unit for the state police. It was the perfect timing since Matthew was on the lookout for dogs that can be trained to become K9 officers.
Ruby was paired with State Trooper Daniel O’Neil, whose dream was to become a K9 officer. Daniel believes that police dogs can make a huge difference in this world. Daniel was happy to make the cut to become a K9 officer and was informed that Ruby would be his new partner.
Daniel described Ruby as a crazy dog who’s disobedient and highly energetic. No regular family can handle Ruby, but Daniel saw Ruby’s potential and worked hard to train Ruby to control her energy and manage her behavior. After months of training, Ruby completely changed into a different dog.
Ruby became a full-fledged police dog, and Daniel couldn’t be prouder of his new partner. Ruby became an amazing search dog and even rescued the life of a teenage boy on one occasion. Ruby even became a candidate in the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Here’s an inspiring video showing Ruby’s remarkable transformation from an unruly and uncontrollable dog into a hero dog.
Video Source American Humane via YouTube
