Farm to Family – Ruthie

Meet Ruthie. Ruthie was a farm pup that no one wanted. She was rescued by Brookline and fostered by Theresa Flanagan, one of Brookline’s best fosters! Ruthie came to us in December 2020 after two of our dogs crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Our Bear was 12 and Snowy was 17 and a permanent Brookline foster. While Snowy was with us for only a year, we were devastated to lose two very special dogs. Then, Ruthie came along at the perfect time.

Well, the story doesn’t quite end here. You see, it wasn’t long after being matched with Ruthie that I spotted another five-month-old, purebred, yellow Lab on Craigslist in Altoona. Feeling terrible for this pup, we were going to acquire her and contact Brookline, since we had just been blessed with Ruthie. But once I saw her, I realized that fate really does have a way of intervening in life. Here I was with one farm dog no one wanted, and another unwanted dog, the exact same age, needing a good home.

Fast forward and Ruthie and Stella have become the very best of friends. It’s been quite the adventure as we’ve raised these two young dogs together. They are so happy and healthy and active and funny together. They follow each other and, of course, shadow our entire family.

We celebrate all the holidays with new collars, and they are spoiled beyond belief with monthly Barkbox deliveries. These two want for nothing. They sleep in a king size bed, curled up next to me near an electric blanket during colder nights. They have left the permanent cold winters of Pennsylvania and now explore all the private sniffspots we can find in North Carolina. They love car rides and the occasional drive-through window, but our vet says that they need to watch their figures.

They say you don’t find a dog, but that a dog finds you. Clearly this was the case with Ruthie and Stella. Fate stepped in and this wonderful friendship was just meant to be. All’s well that ends well.