Alison’s favorite rescue story

Bonus story continued from the Winter Bridge: “Hero’s Haven Animal Rescue,” featuring Alison (Nesteby) Parmer ’05, ’15, on page 20.

Ruby, a stray “pit-bull” type dog, was found in Missouri and was at very high risk of being euthanized due to overcrowding and the low interest in her breed of dog. One of our wonderful volunteers offered to foster her so she could make the transport to Iowa.

Upon her arrival, it was discovered that she did not do well in a home with cats, and there were cats in the foster home. Ruby then came to stay with my husband and I and she completely blossomed. She was full of love and wiggles and adored every single person she met. To think a dog with such a loving demeanor and no aggressiveness tendencies was so close to being put to sleep was heartbreaking.

Unfortunately, she was also getting no interested applicants here in Iowa. My husband and I had been fostering her for about 2 months when we traveled to northern Wisconsin for a snowmobile trip. We stopped for lunch and got to talking with the owner of the restaurant about Ruby. We showed her some pictures and she said, “I want her.” Karen filled out the application and was approved for adoption. Two weeks later, my husband and I drove the 6 hours back up to take her to her forever home.

Ruby is now Zuri, named after her Missouri roots, and lives in the pristine Northwoods of Wisconsin where she is a door greeter and customer favorite at her mom’s restaurant. Zuri spends her free time playing in the lake and with her two-legged siblings. It always warms our hearts to see the dogs really down on their luck end up with such happy endings.