“Ruby dashed straight into the living room and gifted me with a surprise.”
This is how Trooper Dan O’Neil first met his new K-9 companion, an 8-month-old Australian shepherd mix.
Ruby was rescued from an animal shelter where she was deemed “unadoptable.”
Puppies are universally adored, but Ruby seemed to be the most unfortunate of them all.
She had been returned to the shelter five times due to her wild and unruly behavior.
Tragically, after her fifth failed adoption, the shelter staff had considered euthanizing her.
However, a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of Pat, a volunteer and trainer at the shelter.
Pat saw potential intelligence beneath Ruby’s boisterous exterior.
In a desperate attempt to save Ruby’s life, Pat reached out to the K-9 unit at the Rhode Island State Police, hoping they might take her in.
Pat believed that if no one else wanted Ruby, training her as a K-9 dog could be her only chance at survival.
Fortunately for Ruby, Officer Dan O’Neil had always dreamt of joining the K-9 unit.
His only obstacle was the lack of a canine partner.
Ruby’s arrival was a blessing for both of them.
Unbeknownst to Dan and Pat, this decision to give Ruby a second chance was about to set in motion a series of events that author Squire Rushnell refers to as a “Godwink.”
When Dan first brought Ruby home, she made a memorable first impression by leaving a mess on the living room floor, much to the surprise of Dan’s pregnant wife.
Despite this rocky start, Dan was determined to make it work.
This was his only opportunity to achieve his dream job, and for Ruby, it was her final chance to prove herself.
They had no option but to make this partnership successful.
Ruby eventually outgrew her mischievous puppy antics and proved to be one of the most exceptional K-9 dogs the Rhode Island State Police had ever seen.
Over their seven years together, Ruby and Dan worked on ten missing person cases, successfully locating three individuals who were found alive.
One of their most recent cases brought Ruby’s story full circle, taking her back to the time when she was just two hours away from being euthanized.
This was the poignant “Godwink” moment that intertwined everyone’s lives in unimaginable ways.
When a teenage boy disappeared from his home in Gloucester, Officer O’Neill, another trooper, and their two dogs were assigned to find him.
The boy’s distressed mother mentioned that her son enjoyed hiking in the woods, prompting the officers to split up to cover more ground.
Ruby, picking up a familiar scent, raced down a ravine.
When Dan caught up with her, he found her licking the face of a body lying face down on the ground.
The young man was injured and barely had a pulse, but he was rushed to the hospital and made a full recovery.
Dan was the one to deliver the good news to the boy’s mother.
During their conversation, the mother asked about a K-9 pup she had helped save years ago named Ruby.
Dan was stunned to realize that the woman was Pat Inman, the trainer who had saved Ruby when she was a pup.
This remarkable story had come full circle. Pat had saved Ruby from an untimely end, and seven years later, Ruby returned the favor by helping to save Pat’s son.
Watch this incredible story in the video below!
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