“Best Ride” is one of my favorite categories for my “And The Nominees Are” posts. I think its safe to assume that Ruby will be in next year’s running! There are so many reasons to love this fun family session from Melissa Jill: ’63 Ford Falcon convertible, super sweet and stylish couple, amazing photography and of course, a wonderful dog whose life resembles a fairy tale.
From Amber: “Ruby has been a member of our family for almost two years. Our vet has put her age somewhere between 3 and 4, I say 3…only because when we found her, she still had really pink belly skin and extremely clean teeth. So, let’s say she is 3. As for her breed, that is another mystery to us. Some vets have said part Rottweiler, others part German Shepherd because of the black fur woven into her back, basically she is a medium sized brown dog!
The story of how we came to rescue her is pretty cool. One Wednesday night 2 years ago, we got a call from our neighbor saying that there was a dog they had trapped in their yard. He told us that the dog was in heat, and had been standing outside their fence all day long because they had a male dog (also unfixed) that she was interested in. They had her safely trapped in their yard, but knew it was a short term solution. His request to us, was that we hold her in our yard for a day or 2 while they attempted to find her owner. It took us about 3 hours (and 6 people) to actually catch and leash her because she was so scared. 
Ruby didn’t even know how to walk with a leash, so my husband had to carry her home to put her in our yard. It became pretty apparent that Ruby had more than likely been abused, had been wild for quite some time, and had not had a very good life up to that point-so we decided to forgo trying to find her previous owners. After 3 days of sitting on the patio with her, talking to her, trying to pet her, etc, she and I became best buddies-and we officially “rescued” her.
After the first few weeks, we taught Ruby how to walk on a leash, sit, lay, speak, shake and hi-five. We also were able to socialize her around other dogs and people, but because of her timid and terrified nature, that took a little longer. Today, Ruby is fixed, vaccinated and gets her toenails trimmed and bathed more regularly that she would like! We also have a 9 year old cat that had been any only pet his entire life-matter of fact I have never had a dog until Ruby. Ruby is great with the cat, and if it were up to her, they would be best friends. All in all, she is a wonderful dog, and we are so blessed and happy to have her in our life.
Ruby loves taking her daily walks, going to the dog park, accompanying us to dog friendly restaurants and Home Depot (she knows how to spot the workers in the orange vests for treats), playing fetch, and visiting with all her neighborhood dog friends. We could not have picked a better dog if we had tried!”
You can see more photos from this fun session on Melissa Jill’s blog. You can find Melissa Jill on Facebook and Instagram.
About Melissa Jill Photography: Based in Phoenix, AZ, Melissa Jill is a wedding photographer. Melissa and her associates capture emotions and relationships in a photojournalistic style. Melissa has a miniature Schnauzer named Dixie.
I have to love another awesome dog named Ruby!
That is a very cool ride!
These photos are awesome! Love how they included the dog.
What a heart warming story. Thank you for sharing!
I love this shoot! Such an awesome dog, car and a beautiful couple!
What a great family and story!
How sweet. I really enjoyed these pictures and reading Ruby’s story. She is such a cute dog. I’m so happy she found a great home. They look like a happy family.