Author Squire Rushnell coined the phrase “Godwink,” which he defines as “an event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention.”
The story of Ruby the dog makes a compelling case for the existence of Godwink.
Ruby is a Border Collie and Australian Shepard mix, who by the time she was eight months old, managed to get herself sent back to the animal shelter four times due to her wild behavior. It seemed no family could tame the wild pup.
In fact, after so much effort and so many failures to control her behavior, Ruby was deemed “unadoptable” and was scheduled to be put down.
But, Ruby got a last-minute reprieve from Pat, a volunteer trainer at the shelter. Pat felt that the dog was very intelligent underneath all that belligerence and believed that some special attention and discipline might just save her life.
That’s when she thought of the idea to contact the Rhode Island State Police. She proposed that they take Ruby in as a trainee for their K-9 unit. And it just so happened that there was an officer who wished to join but needed a canine partner.
That officer was Dan O’Neil.
When O’Neil got the call from the head of the unit informing him of Ruby’s situation, he decided to take a chance on the rambunctious pup that no one else seemed to be able to handle. After all, it was his best opportunity of getting his dream job.
But things started off at a rocky start the minute O’Neal brought Ruby home. The Pup proudly pounced passed O’Neil’s pregnant wife and proceeded to leave a little “present” right in the middle of their living room floor. Talk about a bad first impression!
But O’Neil had already made the commitment to stick with it.
With a combination of hard work and patience — along with Ruby maturing with age — O’Neil eventually managed to turn the unruly and mischievous puppy into a loyal K-9 partner.
Ruby definitely owed Pam a considerable debt, but no one could have possibly imagined just how she would go on to repay it, with interest.
It all took place during her 7th year on the squad when a teen’s mom reported her son missing.
O’Neil and another officer were assigned to the missing person case and brought their K-9 partners into the woods to search for the boy. They decided to split up to cover more ground.
That’s when Ruby recognized a familiar scent and went bounding down a ravine as O’Neil struggled to keep up.
When the officer found his partner, she was licking the face of a boy who lay unconscious on the ground. His pulse was weak, and he had suffered severe head trauma. However, they were able to rush him to the hospital where the boy would make a full recovery.
But when Officer O’Neil went to the mother’s residence to deliver the news of her son’s rescue, something incredible happened.
The boy’s mother was told that a k-9 unit had helped save her son’s life. She asked O’Neil if he had ever come across a dog named Ruby. The officer was taken aback and confirmed that it was, in fact, Ruby who found her son.
The teen’s mother’s name was Pat Inman, the shelter volunteer, who years ago, saved Ruby from being Euthanized!
Now that’s what you call karma — or “Godwink,” if you prefer.
The woman who saved Ruby’s life would find herself owing her son’s life to that same dog years later.
What a fantastic story of how one good deed can come full-circle in a miraculous turn of events. Please be sure to share Ruby’s story with your friends and family.
Source: Relieved.co