Year Released: 2022
Directed by: Katt Shea
Starring: Grant Guston, Kaylah Zander, Scott Worlf, Camille Sullivan, Tom McBeath
(TV-G, 90 min.)
Genre: Drama

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” –Albert Camus

If we ever needed a tonic for sore souls, now is the time. And riding to our rescue is Ruby, the last chance shelter dog that will steal your heart, and maybe your dinner, your child’s toy, and the stuffing out of your couch.

Yes, last year when I first reviewed this sweet film, I was dutifully going to review the highly touted Oscar nominee and now the Best Director winner, The Power of the Dog, but I have had one too many doses of nihilism recently to stomach more.

Yes, in my youth I relished these grim existential tales, favoring The Theater of the Absurd and such writers as Edward Albee, Eugene Ionesco, Albert Camus, and Jean Paul Sartre. In my invulnerable youth I savored bitter dregs, never really fearing real cataclysms in my world. Now, not so much.

Here is the gist of this new film:

State trooper Dan (Grant Gustin) dreams of joining the K-9 Search & Rescue team, but no one will give him the chance. Shelter dog Ruby dreams of having a home, but is running out of hope. When fate brings Dan and Ruby together, it's their unshakable bond that helps them face their toughest challenge yet. Based on a true story.

***

Little did I know or even understand the term Godwink. It’s a newly coined word that refers to those little “coincidences” that are not coincidence, but instead, from divine origin.

Recuing Ruby is from Godwink Brands, a company created by husband and wife Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt. The two of them are authors, and their mission is to share books "to lift the spirits of our readers and viewers with powerful and true-life Godwink stories, providing hope and encouragement."

And it comes from the last place Different Drummer thought she would encounter these kinds of stories – Netflix!

***

Although I am a self-confessed sucker for dog films – see #1 True Confession under the About Different Drummer – it is the people as well as Ruby who captured my heart.

And that goes back to the title of the real life story, Rescued by Ruby. Upon first glance, that title seems wrong. Ruby is the shelter dog that is rescued from euthanasia by Dan (Grant Gustin).

Of course, Ruby eventually becomes a rescue dog, and the real life Ruby actually received the 2018 American Humane Search and Rescue Dog of the Year. Before that, however, Ruby rescues others in a figurative sense, Dan being number one. (The incorrigible Ruby was actually returned to the shelter 7 times before Dan took on the challenge of training her.)

Dan could not have done it, however, without the loving support of his wife Melissa (Kaylah Zander), who impresses Different Drummer almost as much as Ruby and Dan. Maybe that is because we expect her to rightfully demand a prompt exodus of this beast that has shredded pillows, stolen her toddler’s favorite toy, and more or less wreaked havoc upon her household.

Instead, she explains that Ruby reminds her of Dan, her dyslexic, hyperactive husband.

Melissa: Come sit with us. I don’t even let my third graders eat while standing.

Dan: I failed third grade. And fourth.
Melissa: You’re exaggerating.

Dan: Oh, you’d have failed me.

Melissa: Never. You would be my favorite. Teacher’s pet.

The canine instructor, Matt Zarella (a Michael J. Fox lookalike to Different Drummer) is not so impressed, however:

Dan to Zarella: Sir, I know you think I don’t have the right temperament, that I’m easily distracted, maybe not much of a reader, but for the job I think intuitive skills and people skills are more important than being speedy with paperwork. Plus, I love dogs.

Zarella: K9 team requires calm and focus. You’re all over the place. You can’t even sit still.

Many times Dan is on the brink of returning Ruby to the shelter, but Melissa intervenes on her behalf. She says Dan would have been a star academically if he had the right environment free of distractions. So Ruby, who has really messed up in the rescue dog class, is “homeschooled.”

Even the neighbors who Ruby has been regularly annoying get in on the act, finally bringing their own dogs over so she gradually becomes socialized.

But there are still more trials along the way. Dan is particularly upset when Ruby appears to have failed again. That is when Seamus (Tom McBeath), an older man who has been encouraging Dan with Ruby, comes to the rescue as well.

Seamus Brady: Where's Ruby?

Dan: I, uh, wish I knew. I've been looking all day.

Seamus: Dogs don't leave a good thing.

Dan I messed up. I didn't trust her. I... I let pressure get to me. I did to her what people do to me. Underestimate me, count me out. That's why I work harder.

Seamus: To prove 'em wrong.

Dan: Yeah, you know, to... to show I measure up. I'm not the stupid, hyperactive kid who couldn't read.

Seamus: I'm thinking you're the one who's lost, not Ruby.

And a final shout out to Pat Inman (Camille Sullivan) the dedicated dog lover who runs the shelter. She sees Ruby’s goodness and potential even when others do not. That faith in her is aptly repaid in what seems to be a too perfect plot twist, but it actually happened. A very special Godwink moment to be sure.

Here is a little background on the real story behind Rescued by Ruby:

They used two real shelter dogs to play the part of Ruby in the film. The role of Ruby is played by an actor dog named Bear, who like Ruby came close to being euthanized for unmanageable behavior that made him unadoptable.

To ensure that rescue pets were at the heart of their film, DuArt and Rushnell had talented shelter dogs play the role of Ruby in the new Netflix movie. In Rescued by Ruby, the titular hero is portrayed by two rescue dogs, Bear and Shiloh, a bonded pair adopted from a shelter by the movie's animal trainers. –Kelli Bender

Count Different Drummer in with the crowd, for once. Almost 100% positive reviews, except for Rachel LaBonte of News Express, who headlines her mostly positive review, “Rescued By Ruby Review: Grant Gustin Leads Earnest & Overly Sappy Dog Flick.” She must be a cat person, or someone else, a cat-loving editor perhaps, came up with the headline.

Bring the hankies, though. Even if the tears are good ones, they are inevitable for all but the most hard-hearted. At least you will be in your own home and not embarrass yourself as I did watching Old Yeller so many years ago.

–Kathy Borich
🥁🥁🥁🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

If I were really authentic, I would suggest a raw hotdog for our featured food, since that is Ruby’s favorite and sometimes the only way to entice her to behave.

All those neighbors who eventually come to love Ruby enjoy a very dog friendly backyard barbecue at Dan and Melissa’s. Lets do a little bit with that raw hotdog, though. We spice it up with a favorite from Ruby and Dan’s state.

You will love this Rhode Island Hot Wiener made with a small, thin frankfurter of veal and pork, giving it a different taste from a traditional beef hot dog. It is served in a steamed bun, and topped with celery salt, yellow mustard, chopped onions, and a seasoned meat sauce.

It is so big and delicious it is often dubbed the Gagger (“Gaggah”), not unlike Different Drummer’s favorite Italian Beef.

Enjoy, and have plenty of napkins on hand.

Rhode Island Hot Wiener

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup water
8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns, split and warmed
Toppings: Yellow mustard, finely chopped onion and celery salt

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until tender. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Add beef; cook 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Stir in water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, cook hot dogs over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Serve in buns with meat sauce and toppings as desired.

Taste of Home.com