A selfless dog refuses to leave her mom’s side, laying on the hospital bed while doctors fight hard to save the woman’s life.
When a 17-year-old girl bought home a service puppy, she had no idea the pup would one day have the potential to save her life.
When Shauna Darcy first welcomed Ruby into her house, she thought the dog would help her cope with her anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia—an extreme fear of leaving one’s home.
As time passed, Shauna realized Ruby’s presence had a calming effect on her. The girl managed to finish school with the pup’s help. But beyond her academic years, Shauna’s anxiety took over once again, and she couldn’t brave herself to leave her home.
Due to her anxiety, Shauna missed Christmases, birthdays, and refrained from visiting her family in Melbourne. She just couldn’t muster the courage to exit her house.
Ruby’s presence by her side gave Shauna a bit of comfort to overcome her obstacles. She decided to expose her pet to a little formal training, bearing that in mind.
The girl wasn’t sure if she qualified to have an assistance dog, and after having Ruby’s temperament tested and approved, she started training her.
Fast forward to a couple of years, Shauna, now in her 20s, saw Ruby as more than just her companion. The dog was her “lifeline.”
The doctors fought very hard to stabilize her condition, while Ruby refused to leave the room.
Trained to be an alert dog, Ruby usually gave her person around 5-10-minute warnings whenever she sensed any unusual deviation in her heart rate and blood pressure.
Shauna would understand from the cues Ruby gave—like sudden pawing. Sometimes, the dog would get on top of her if she constantly ignored the alerts.
Eventually, Ruby proved that she was more than a service dog. After Ruby’s unusual behavior signaled something was wrong, Shauna visited the doctor.
She found that she had a rare condition medically termed Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), caused by another condition called Vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome. The severity of her health condition caused Shauna to suffer from chronic pain and fatigue.
Ruby had sensed something was wrong even before Shauna did. The pup then switched to dealing with Shauna’s cardiac issues with her regular heart rate and blood pressure monitoring.
The dog helped her during panic attacks and fetched emergency medications. Apart from that, Ruby carried groceries, picked up dropped items, and helped her mom reach out to things she couldn’t.
Ruby was trained in deep pressure therapy, and whenever her mom passed out, she would apply all her pressure on her and lick her hands and face until she regained consciousness.
One day, Ruby alerted Shauna about an emergency she had no clue about. At that point, Shauna was feeling alright and had no idea why Ruby was behaving weirdly. She decided to trust her dog and called an ambulance right away.
When the paramedics arrived, Ruby’s mom was in terrible pain and slowly lost consciousness. The medical team rushed her to the hospital, and upon closer observation, it turned out her heart was entering into atrial fibrillation—an irregular and rapid heartbeat, scientifically called arrhythmia.
Shauna realized that Ruby had saved her life that day. The doctors fought very hard to stabilize her condition, while Ruby refused to leave the room. Even when her mom was unconscious, the dog lay on her bed, pressed up against her.
During their stay, several people stopped by to meet Ruby. Recounting her story to The Feed, Shauna stated:
“I have no idea what my life would be like without Ruby. She’s there when I’m unhappy. She doesn’t judge me when I’m unwell.”
The pup amassed unique popularity among onlookers who not only applauded her for saving her mom but also stood dumbfounded at her diligence and love for her human. Today, Shauna and her beloved service dog Ruby are famous wherever they go.
Without Ruby, Shauna’s life would’ve been very different. The dog watches over her mom’s health and safety every single day, and Shauna is so grateful for having Ruby around.
“I wouldn’t be alive without her,” Shauna concluded.
Here’s Ruby & Shauna’s Instagram account if you’d love some updates on what the mom-doggo duo are up to nowadays!
Questions to Ponder:
Do you think Ruby’s presence helped Shauna overcome her anxiety for the most part?
Shauna said she realized Ruby had a soothing effect on her, and it helped her finish school despite having anxiety issues. But beyond her school years, the woman found it hard to leave home again due to her fear of having episodes. However, she gained confidence and felt comfortable overcoming her anxiety issues with Ruby by her side. Do you think Shauna could’ve overcome her anxiety if it hadn’t been for Ruby’s involvement?
Why is it important to train assistance dogs?
At a point, Shauna said she had no idea she was eligible for guide/assistance dogs though she knew about pups specifically trained for hearing and diabetic alerts. She started training Ruby, who is now a well-trained alert dog, to sense unusual heartbeat and blood pressure patterns in humans. Have you ever trained a service dog, and what would you advise people looking to train one?