Rutherford E. Wellingston, III is a dog that looks an awful lot like Chewbacca from Star Wars. Ruffus, for short, has a real life animal rescue story documented at www.BensBuddies.com. Side by side the resemblance is uncanny to say the least. It seems as though Ruffus has a little wookie in him afterall!
Rutherford Eugene Wellington III
Two of the Velez dogs, Rutherford Eugene Wellington III and Laraque Francois Boucher, have recently taken up a dog training class at the local Petsmart store. Ruffus has already passed the Beginners class, which Laraque has just begun. The dogs have learned basic commands such as sit, stay, leave it, take it, come, and lay down. Ruffus has also learned the famous trick, “shake hands” and Laraque is starting to. Ruffus has done wonderfully in the class and is even referred to as the star pupil of the class. Laraque, however, is challenged by the class because of trust issues. Laraque was adopted from a shelter, where he was because his parents were abused. Because of the abuse his parents endured, he was handed down a natural distrust towards humans. This is the main thing that stands in the way of him learning new commands and tricks. The real breakthrough was him learning the “lay down” command. Laraque refused to obey all people, and would not do the command. Then, Rebecca Velez attempted to teach it to him, and succeeded. Laraque can now perform the task from most people. His new challenge is being able to socialize and be pet by people he hasn’t met, without showing any aggression. Shiloh, the Velez’s oldest dog, is beginning to learn some of the commands as well, although she is not enrolled in any classes. Shiloh is very good and tricks because she will do almost anything for a treat. Overall, the Velez dogs have become familiar with many commands and tricks, and have much more to learn. The future is bright for these lovely canines.
