Ruby bring joy to the elderly and the sick.
Photo via ruby’stales.com
When rescuers found Ruby with another puppy from her litter in an abandoned house in St. Paul, Minnesota ten years ago, they had been left without food or water for two weeks. Patrick Bettendorf was asked to foster Ruby for a weekend, and they’ve been together ever since. Ruby has been the inspiration for two books by Bettendorf, Ruby’s Tale and the recent Ruby’s Road, describing the amazing dog’s decade of service. She is an inspirational example of what rescue dogs can do.
And while Pit Bulls get a bad rap these days, Bettendorf says Ruby’s story is really not about breed. “It’s a story about dogs that were thrown away that have achieved almost the impossible. I’d like that to be the story. Waste not one life. Give a dog a chance. You just don’t know. They don’t have to accomplish all of things Ruby has accomplished. They can just be a great family addition.”
Click here for the full story and a radio report about Ruby.
Click here to visit the Ruby Tales website.
PLEASE get the difference between a “service dog” and a therapy dog. This is a therapy dog, a family pet that passes some temperament testing and gets to go, on invitation, to visit in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. A service dog is a dog that has been specifically trained to help a person with a disability, ie. picking things up for them, opening doors, etc. Under the Americans with Disability Act, true service dogs are allowed in public places with their teammate with a disability. Both kinds of dogs are awesome, but there is a big difference.There is so much confusion and you need to clarify, not add to the disinformation.
You’re right. I’ll work on it.
I would like to thank Orvis for continuing to post positive stories about pit bulls. My sweet pittie girl, Daisy, LOVES her Orvis dog beds (2 and counting). Thank you again!!!
Part of the confusion about Ruby being a Therapy/Service dog, is that she indeed started out as a therapy dog, but as my needs changed she went back to school and became my service dog. So technically, she has been both. Sorry about that. Thank you. http://www.rubystales.com