RHODY PETS: The legacy of Wickford’s K-9 hero + the adoptable Pet of the Month

Hero Pup

Local K-9 Ruby’s legacy is memorialized in a Netflix film telling her story

By Belinda Jones, Animal Rescue Rhode Island

Corporal Dan O’Neil and K-9 Ruby RHODY PET OF THE MONTH:

HERCULES

By Karen Kalunian

This big smile belongs to Hercules! He is a stunning three-yearold Pitbull mixed breed with a gorgeous brindle coat and golden-brown eyes brimming with love. Hercules is a smart, goofy, and lovable companion, and he’s looking for an adult-only (or with older children) home where he would be your one and only boy. To schedule a time to meet Hercules and see for yourself what a wonderful pup he is, reach out to Paws New England for more information by emailing info@pawsnewengland. com or visit their website: PawsNewEngland.com

If you have been thinking of adopting or know of an animal in need please contact Karen directly at animaltalk1920@gmail.com

K-9 Ruby may have gained a national spotlight with the new Netflix movie Rescued by Ruby, but her humble roots originate here in Rhode Island. “I’ve always been a huge advocate of giving shelter pets a second chance,” says Corporal Dan O’Neil, the Rhode Island State Police trooper whose steadfast love and determination turned this wayward rescue pup into a superstar in the search-and-rescue field, winning American Humane’s Hero Dog of the Year in 2018.

Ruby was a Border Collie Australian Shepherd cross who was first surrendered as a puppy to the Rhode Island SPCA in East Providence for her unmanageable behaviors. She was returned by five different adopters and just two hours shy of being euthanized when shelter volunteer Patricia Inman proposed this “smart, dynamite” pup for police training, convinced she just needed a job. Ruby met with Corporal O’Neil of Wickford Barracks determined to fulfill his goal for her of making the K-9 unit against all odds, and a dream partnership was formed.

The movie, which was released for streaming March 17, is based on the true story of their work. It draws parallels between the pair, showing how both man and dog needed to work a little harder to harness their kinetic energy and focus – but when they do, the results are remarkable.

In 2017, a teenager went missing in the Glocester woods and Ruby was the one to locate him, lying unconscious and bleeding. The boy was safely reunited with his mother, who turned out to be the very volunteer who campaigned for Ruby at the shelter.

In the film, O’Neil is portrayed by Grant Gustin (to the delight of O’Neil’s young sons who loved him as The Flash), whose performance makes this a very human story as well as a canine one.

But while the movie is keenly feel-good, there was real life heartbreak in May this year when Ruby passed away at age 11. The loss may be great, but Ruby’s legacy is greater.

While the O’Neil family mourns privately, the official word comes from Colonel Darnell S.