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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

Meet Ruby:

My husband and I found out about Ruby from a Facebook post with over 2,000 shares. In this post, the person shared her Kennel Card in which the owners share why they are surrendering their dog. Ruby was being surrendered due to the fact that she “wasn’t being a guard dog, [was] too nice, [and] doesn’t bark.” We already have one dog that doesn’t bark (due to previous abuse), so we figured they would be a perfect pair! Ruby was also only a year old, or so the shelter was told, and she was a hefty 73 lbs. As soon as I saw the post, I showed my husband and was like, “We have to go get her.”

After class, we canceled our plans for the day and went straight to the shelter. Once we got there, we found out that Ruby had actually been spayed and wasn’t being allowed visitors until the following morning. So we left empty-handed and planned on coming back the following day to meet and adopt this dog that we had only seen via pictures on the internet. 

That night, word got around from the original post and news stations were starting to pick up the story. Channel Six in Orlando picked up the story that night, and we knew that people would see it and go see Ruby for themselves. So, we went to bed early and woke up early that following morning to see her. As soon as we met her, we knew she was coming home with us. So we filled out the adoption papers and took the sweet girl home with us. Since then, many other articles have been written, including one by People Magazine.

Since adopting Ruby, her personality has flourished here with us. She’s wildly playful, she loves to give kisses, she takes up the entire bed at bedtime, and she even knows basic obedience commands. Personally, our favorite thing about her is that she does indeed bark—especially if there’s a noise that comes from the front door. The vet also believes Ruby is more around the two to three-year-old range rather than still being a puppy. 

Now, all we have left is adjusting to life together, and every day it feels more and more natural. Hopefully, Ruby continues to enjoy her fame as several animal media companies have reached out to do pieces on her and her story. At first, we didn’t know how to feel about being asked to do these pieces, but we feel as though people need to understand that Pit Bulls aren’t a “killer breed,” and that in reality, they’re the biggest sweethearts you could possibly have in your life.

All images belong to the writer.

Darby is a Senior at UCF studying Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Anthropology. Darby was born and raised in Kentucky but decided to make the move to Orlando in the Fall of 2017. When she isn't studying and writing, she can typically be found playing video games with her husband, worrying about life after college, or playing with her dogs.
UCF Contributor