FRUITPORT, Mich. — Firefighters often deal with stress and anxiety after responding to emergency calls. In Fruitport, the fire department now has the stress reliever it's been looking for in Ruby.
"Ruby is an amazing dog," said Fruitport Fire Chief Brian Michelli.
She's a dog that came to the department after being rescued from the woods by Pound Buddies.
"She was pretty scared," said Lana Carson, director of Pound Buddies. "But once we got her out, we put the leash on her, she jumped up and started hugging us."
A friendliness that Carson remembered when Michelli called asking about a dog for the station.
"I talked to Lana and said, hey, we're ready to go," said Michelli, who had entertained the idea of a station dog for more than a year.
Ruby came to the station for a trial run to see how she fit in. At the end of the period, Michelli called Carson to say Ruby had a new home.
"Pretty much said she's not coming back," said Carson.
Now, after a week living full-time at the station, Ruby is family.
"She hops in the engine and rides to wherever our training is at," said Michelli. "She's part of the team."
And having Ruby around isn't just for the staff at the department. They believe she'll be a benefit for the community as well.
"We're public service," said Michelli. "Our job is to help people and organizations as best we can."
And Ruby will provide some stress relief, allowing firefighters to focus better on serving the community.
"She's going to help with, you know, lowering stress, anxiety, minor PTSD issues," said Michelli.
"It's very unique, the power of these animals to connect people and help us all out," said Carson.
For Carson, who helped rescue Ruby originally, seeing her thrive means the world.
"I kind of get choked up, like we couldn't ask for anything better," she said.
A dog, helped in her time of need, now paying it forward.
"It's been good for Ruby and it's been really good for us," said Michelli.
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