Ruby, a one-year-old golden retriever, was surrendered to an animal shelter in Québec last summer, but the clever canine is now training to become a therapy dog.
The pup was left at SPCA Roussillon, and her happy, kind personality prompted the shelter to then recommend her to the Asista Foundation, which trains rescue dogs to be service animals for children and adults struggling with their mental health. Ruby is set to become one of the first service dogs in Asista’s Facility Service Dog Program.
Part of Ruby’s journey even saw her rubbing shoulders with sportspeople, after Asista ambassador Nick Suzuki, captain of the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League, and his fiancée, Caitlin Fitzgerald, fostered her.
Fitzgerald told People that they eagerly agreed to foster Ruby and said, “In just a few days, it felt like Ruby had been part of our lives for months. We immediately recognized her potential – not only as a service dog but also as a deeply loving companion," she adds.
After spending time with Fitzgerald and Suzuki, Ruby moved in with another temporary foster family before beginning specialized training with Asista’s training and intervention team. At this point, Asista viewed her as a great candidate for the new mobile version of its Facility Service Dog Program.
Usually, the program involves a service dog being paired up with one facility, like a school or a hospital. In contrast, the mobile version involves a dog being paired with a social worker who travels with them to different locations as and when needed.
Ruby’s training teaches her how to remain calm when it’s busy, recognize emotional cues in people, and eventually be able to perform up to 15 different tasks to assist in crisis management.
As Fitzgerald is a social worker, she and Suzuki agreed that they’d adopt Ruby and she’d be the professional paired up with her.
"We hadn't planned on adopting a dog, but fate had other ideas,” she said. “When Ruby came back into our lives, it changed everything. Both Nick and I have immersed ourselves into learning everything about the training process, and she now comes with us almost everywhere as we continue to prepare her for her role.”
Ruby’s taken to her training well, too, with Fitzgerald revealing that "her eagerness to work and please is remarkable – almost like a sixth sense,” so it sounds as though Asista couldn’t have chosen a better canine for the job. Golden retrievers are one of the best therapy dog breeds, so Ruby was a great choice from the start!
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