Ronny Hue Reilly - Diamond in the Ruff

Summary :  Alex and I saved Ronny when he was found abandoned on the streets of Sacramento. Now in a loving home where he is cared for and treasured, he is thriving and loving life.  I want to continue to provide him with what he needs. Please, read our full story! It’s a sweet “tail!”

My name is Amy, and I am raising funds to help my beautiful and sweet rescue dog, Ronny. He was found several weeks ago as a stray in Sacramento. A lovely man, named Alex, who commutes from San Francisco to Sacramento weekly, came upon a stray dog (his name wasn’t Ronny yet) hanging around his hotel. ACC was called by the staff, and he was without tags, without a microchip, had an ear infection, wasn’t neutered, and no one had seen him around before.

Alex was told that if the dog was taken to the shelter, he would be euthanized, and that he was better off being taken to a more rural area to fend for himself. Alex wouldn’t have that, so he so kindly brought the dog back to San Francisco, brought him to the vet, had him vaccinated, bought him food and toys, and set about finding this beautiful, sweet and intelligent pup a loving home. Alex fell in love with him, but traveling often for work made caring for a dog challenging.

Alex found that Ronny went into severe panic when he tried to crate him, leave him alone, or go out to the store. The separation anxiety was severe, and whoever adopted him would have to know that he needs professional support to

work through his issue. Ample patience and love would be needed to care for him.

Mid-January, I found Ronny’s picture and story. I instantly fell in love with his face. He had an uncanny resemblance to a dear dog I had years ago. I immediately replied to the post, and met this beautiful, stray dog with the most beautiful soulful eyes the next morning. Upon meeting, he curled around me like a cat, leaned into my legs, lifted his head up, and buried his face in my hands. This pup loved love.

“Did he have a name?” I asked.

He did not.

Back up to early December, I lost a very dear friend, Ron, to cancer. He was a designer, a mentor and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. His passing has been very difficult for me, I will be finishing design work that we started and imagined together this spring, it will be bittersweet.

With Ron’s passing so recent, he was on my mind the morning I met with Alex and the dog. I immediately tried the name Ronny out loud, and Ronny turned and looked right at me. Ronny Hue Reilly it was. In some cosmic way, I believe my friend Ron played a part in bringing Ronny into my life.

Ronny is so dear to me already. He had some training in his life— he sits, lays down, and stays most of time. We’re working on it. With the little amount of time I have had with him, we have worked on his recall, hurdle jumping, and of course, fetching.

The first several days with me, he barked and just about lunged through the window screen to join the dogs in the back yard. Today, he sits calmly at the window inhaling and exhaling the neighborhood through his vacuumous snout.

He has learned to sit outside the kitchen instead of going through the trash, and looking for food on the counters. This hound can smell a potato chip from a hundred yards away. Now, he lays down now with just his toes touching the kitchen floor. He’s quite a character.

Ronny’s potential is so promising, and this is why I am committed to loving him, caring for him, and helping his separation panic and anxiety. I know how challenging this behavior issue is for dogs and their owners. The process requires, for example, the assistance of a dog behaviorist, a specialized trainer, and more.

About Me:

I’ve lived in San Francisco for several years now. I am an active artist and graphic designer. I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 33. It’s been over a decade of managing symptoms, it’s been a challenging journey.

I was bound for becoming a partner in a design and marketing firm in downtown San Francisco before I was diagnosed. I had paid my dues, and my schooling and experience was finally going to pay off; I would never sleep on a futon again!

However, it was increasingly clear over several months that working full-time was making me sicker, more stressed, and more in need of medications to treat Parkinson’s. I had a dog, Emerson, at that time, a sweet Rhodeshian Ridgeback mix, who truly saved me from some of the darkest times. Having a companion who rested with me on bad days, bounded with joy on good days, was a saving grace of every day. When he passed away ten years ago, I was devastated.

As a non-elderly disabled person, financial devastation is common. Disability income is not a livable income, and for several years I lived in the homes of my friends, my friends’ parents— I was pulled from the threat of homelessness so many times by the skin of my teeth. My life was not conducive to having a dog again, my life was so unpredictable.

I have such gratitude for my family of friends who have helped me in countless ways over the last 13 years. I wouldn’t be here writing this letter with Ronny resting his head in my lap if it wasn’t for the love and kindness of some very dear people.

Having a dog in my life again has been an amazing rebirth of walking everyday, of waking up to a big sweet pup face who wants to go out and breathe in the new day. Ronny is reminding me of how life is so much better with a K-9 companion. He has been like a new medicine for me. His presence has been a blessing.

This is what Ronny and I need:

I have received advice from different people over the last two weeks about how I can help treat Ronny’s anxiety issues. Even though I work part-time, I am able to do so at home, and spend a great deal of time with Ronny on a consistent basis. What he and I need to work on is being able to leave him alone at home so I can go to exercise classes, appointments, etc a few times a week. Working up to 3-4 hours is our goal, and I know it’s going to take time and commitment.

From the advice I have been given, Ronny and I will need support to work with a trainer and/or dog behaviorist, to hire a dog sitter who can fill in for me while we work on his separation, and obtain a supply of meds to aid in his process. Ronny also needs things that will help his anxiety when alone; food puzzle toys are excellent, long lasting chewys, etc.

Funny thing—

This dog loves old cloth pot holders! He loves nibbling at the threads of them. He found one in the laundry room, and pranced around with it like a show horse, and it often lays on the floor next to my bed. To know that he has survived abandonment, has been rescued from euthanasia, and has made it to me is nothing short of amazing. His playful and loving disposition is a testament to his boundless resilience. 

If you would like to help Ronny and I, we would be so thankful. You would be helping me provide what he needs to further adjust to his new life. He has such potential to grow and be secure within himself, I so much want that for him.

Thank you for reading about Ronny and I.

He would thank you, too, by leaning in for a hug, and wagging his tail.