Updated on 16/5/22
Just two months after the movie based on her life premiered on Netflix, heroic police dog Ruby has passed away. According to a Facebook post from Rhode Island State Police, K-9 Ruby was put to sleep following a “sudden, acute, and incurable illness.”
The story of the remarkable dog and her handler Cpl. Daniel O’Neil inspired the Netflix series, Rescued by Ruby.
Before joining the force, Ruby, a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Border Collie, was an unruly shelter dog. She almost died before Trooper O’Neil and a volunteer trainer took care of her.
She went on to become one of the first shelter dogs in service with the Rhode Island State Police. During her 11 years of loyalty, Ruby participated in many search and rescue missions. She is even credited with saving her former coach’s son during one of these searches.
Colonel Darnell Weaver, superintendent of state police, expressed gratitude for Ruby’s years of service, saying:
“K-9 Ruby has dedicated her life to serving the citizens of Rhode Island and making a positive impact on everyone she comes in contact with,” he said in a statement. “She has become an icon of hope for all shelter dogs, showing the world what a shelter dog can do when it just needs love and a chance to shine.”
Ruby was honored for her accomplishments as the “Search and Rescue Dog of the Year of the 2018 American Humane Hero Dog Awards”.
“She has had a full, happy and wonderful life, not only as a soldier, but as part of a loving family,” Weaver said. “She did the right thing to the end and never gave up on doing what she loves most – making people smile.”
Read on to learn more about Ruby’s incredible life.
Update 3/14/22
11 years ago, Ruby was a good-natured shelter dog on the brink of death. She was adopted and returned five times for her unruly behavior on Rhode Island Cpl state police. Daniel O’Neil took her chance.
The pair will continue to train, work, and live together, with Ruby becoming the official K9 cop.
Patricia Inman, shelter volunteer and dog trainer, talks about Ruby. “She jumped and bit her own leash. She will not sit or lie down. She kept moving. She is special, and she needs someone special.”
Little did Inman know that the dog she trained and supported would return to her life in the most unbelievable way: by saving her son! Now, Ruby’s story is being immortalized by Netflix in a heartwarming family drama. “Rescued by Ruby,” Released on March 17th!
Original post 6/28/18:
It has been seven years since an energetic girl named Ruby joined the Rhode Island State Police Unit K9.
She surrendered Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) by her first owner, then adopted – and returned – four more times before finding her place in this world.
Joseph Warzycha, a former police officer and current director of operations at RISPCA, told PeopleTV’s Feet & claws:
“After the fifth time [she had been returned] we would have to bear too much responsibility if we put this dog in a normal house. “
Ruby’s fate might have been different without Warzycha. He sees potential in the rowdy 8-month-old Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, which is “generally unmanageable.” During his time as an officer, Warzycha learned a bit about how K9 worked and knew that Ruby’s high energy could be an asset – if it could be harnessed.
Soldier Daniel O’Neil’s Rhode Island State Police always dreamed of joining the K9 unit, so when he learned about Ruby, he was eager to take on the challenge of training her to channel his passion into scent work. The partnership got off to a rough start, but after six months of intensive training, O’Neil got a partner and Ruby got a job. and a forever home!
“She really came into her own,” O’Neil said.
One fateful day in October 2017, Ruby and O’Neil are called in to help locate a missing teenager. The boy has been missing for more than 36 hours and all human efforts to find him have failed. They successfully located the boy in the grave and needed medical attention a few hours later. He was taken to a local hospital, and thanks to Ruby and O’Neil, he made a full recovery.
When O’Neil met the boy’s mother to give her the good news, he discovered that she had been a volunteer coach at RISPCA. Not only does she miss Ruby, she also worked tirelessly to rehabilitate and save her from death six years earlier.
The once dominating rebellious dog finally repays the woman’s kindness by rescuing her son! Check out this amazing story from Trooper O’Neil’s point of view.
These days, Ruby is a busy K9. In addition to the police duty, she reached the semifinals of 2018 America’s Humane Hero Dog Award! Her story is also featured in the new movie Search agency, will be released on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play on July 18.
Best of all, Ruby has found the forever loving home that every dog dreams of. She will remain O’Neil’s beloved pet after her retirement from the K9 unit.
“She brought a bit of humility to a very negative environment,” says O’Neil. Human pet. “When you raise a dog with that pure feeling of love, it’s hard to be in a bad mood. She just wants to be with you.”
H/T to Human pet
Featured images via Facebook / Rhode Island State Police
