“Ruby”

Photography by Julie Saari

Ruby “works” at KD Floral flower shop on the corner of 3rd St. and Minnesota Ave.  I find myself returning to this shop time and again not so much for the flowers (which are always fresh and beautiful) but, rather to see Ruby.  Always friendly and happy to see you, she greets customers with her caring brown eyes and a wag of her tail.  ‘Pet therapy’ is what I call it, what would you call it?

If you haven’t already,

Meet Ruby:

Squirrels, birds, frogs, trails, snow banks, lakes, and creeks.  It’s the perfect place for a dog.  There’s always something to do where I live.  You should see all the forest left to explore!   I love to run on the trails that are out by our house.  You can run and run and tumble and nothing gets in your way.  And in the winter sometimes the snow is so deep my head barely shows above the top.  Yea, it’s pretty great living here.

I didn’t always live here, or at least I didn’t always live where things were as wonderful as they are now. Let’s just say my previous owners weren’t very nice people to my brothers and me.  We became street dogs, were starving, and had nowhere to go. About two years ago, we were found running across the road, north of Bemidji. A nice man brought us home.  After some loving, I went to live with my family I have now. I always get enough food to eat and they love me so much.  Everyone says I still look like a puppy since I’m so small, but I’m growing up.  Next year I’ll be five!

I spend most of my time at my mom’s store.  We go downtown every morning to KD Floral.  It’s a pretty great job I have.  Most of the time I get to sleep and look cute, but when the customers come in I usually get to greet them, especially when the mail carrier comes.  He always brings treats.  There are a few customers that come in and ask just to see me.  That’s what’s so great about Bemidji. You can always find a loving face, a familiar smile, and if you’re a dog, someone to pet you.

On days when I don’t go to work with my mom, I get to stay home with my dad.  Man is that great.  I get to sleep in, chase squirrels in our big back yard, and lay in the sun when I get tired.  We live close to several parks with walking trails, where I love to run.  Night time walks and weekend runs are my favorite.  It’s so beautiful here.  When you look around you can see the pure beauty of creation; we’re lucky.  We don’t have to look at skyscrapers or smell stinky air.  It’s just trees and lakes and beautiful people.

Yea, life is pretty good for me. Especially since we live in Bemidji – I wouldn’t want to be a dog anywhere else.
To view a slideshow of Ruby’s photo shoot click here

pics by Julie Saari

KD Floral’s Facebook page can be found HERE