Ruby is no ordinary pit bull. Mom Shauna Darcy brought Ruby back home to help her with her anxiety, including agoraphobia. Ruby was a trained assistance dog since 2017, but it quickly became apparent that Ruby had special powers, beyond traditional service dog training.
Traditionally, a trained service dog can assist someone with anxiety by helping them out, such as getting their medication, giving them a phone during an attack, etc. However, Ruby quickly picked subtle cues up.
Shauna told The Dodo, "While she was training to be a service dog I noticed that she started picking up on changes in my heart rate and would act funny — for example, paw at me, try to get my attention, get on top of me, etc."
Luckily, Shauna took these signals from Ruby seriously and saw a doctor. She soon learned that she actually had a condition she didn't even know about. It turned out to be a rare heart condition called vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Complications of this condition could include early-onset arthritis and overly flexible joints.
Ruby quickly moved to helping Shauna with heart rate monitoring and her blood pressure. She does this daily and even helps her mom with the groceries.
"Standing is my cardio," says Shauna on her Instagram post.
Meanwhile, Ruby continued her training, specializing in deep pressure therapy. This allows her to get on her Mom and apply pressure in times when she passed out.
Then one day in early October 2019, Ruby began acting up, alerting Shauna that something wasn't quite right. Trusting her instincts, Shauna decided to call for an ambulance.
Good thing she did -- By the time paramedics were on the scene, Shauna was barely conscious and in pain. It turned out her heart was going into atrial fibrillation.
While Shauna was in the hospital getting treated, Ruby refused to leave her mom's side.
It was clear that despite everything going on, Ruby was hoping her presence would make her mom feel safe.
"I wouldn't be alive without her," Darcy said to The Dodo.