Ruby's Tale : A True Rags to Riches Story

2011 National Indie Excellence Award -- Animals/Pets/General - Winner!

Foreword Reviews announced Ruby's Tale as a finalist for the 2010 Book of the Year Awards in the Pets category. Found like unwanted trash in an abandoned house, Ruby grew up to achieve the impossible! Join her on a wonderful odyssey that has been her life . . . a real doggie epic! A veteran of stage plays, Ruby has worked at a radio station as a co-host and has appeared in newspapers around the world. Meet the fascinating people, celebrities, and dogs Ruby has worked with, lived with, and helped along the way. Wait with Ruby and her family in the blistering South Dakota sun when the motor home breaks down, only to wish they hadn't been rescued. Ruby has traveled to Hollywood to appear on a national television show. . . . not bad for a little dog nobody wanted. But Ruby found that all that glitters was not always gold and then, cancer came a calling. But she rallied her indomitable spirit to survive. Ruby's story has it all: fun, gritty drama, high emotion, excitement, anger, laughter and betrayal. It is a living, breathing story that will leave dog lovers cheering.

Patrick Bettendorf lives with his wife, Lynn; youngest daughter, Sadie; and ''the tribe'' in a small country town just northeast of St. Paul/Minneapolis. He has been a male model, an actor of stage and industrial training films, a radio personality, and a scriptwriter.

He is founder and managing director of Duck Soup Players theater company. Since 1969, Duck Soup Players has brought comedy productions to those who can't easily get out to enjoy all the community has to offer -- those living in senior residences or hospitals. The players also did seven USO tours of VA hospitals and remote military bases to rave reviews. In 1983, Duck Soup Players was invited by President Reagan to Washington, DC, to help celebrate USO's fortieth anniversary. It was during his time with the players that Patrick saw the painful yearning the residents and patients had for a sense of normalcy in their lives. A need for something from happier times, primarily pets. Being a dog lover, he set a path to do something about it. In the helping of others, he healed himself along the way.