Dawn - German Shepherd, USMC trained dog, retired.
In the midst of the fluster in the NHL drafts and Ashton joining the U18s national team development program, he had to be in and out of the house a lot, the more experienced he got the more his name was noticed, the more games he played out of state, and out of country. And as different as it was from his father, there was always that silly anxiety - another Ryder leaving home often, what if he doesn't come back? After high school, Ash signed on with Kings and trained a lot in LA, Ruth continued her own path into medicine, and Ash didn't feel right in leaving his mother all alone at home, in a house that feels too big and makes one feel too small. But it was their home, the home his parents bought, the home he and Ruth grew up in, and it's hard to give up the home that holds so many memories and so much love.
Varina had always stayed in contact with the USMC after Ash's father passed, keeping in touch with the unit that first sergeant Finley Ryder belonged to, his closest friends and comrades that knew him best. Before his death, Finley always wanted to have the opportunity to train a military dog, even promising his son that when it retired, it could come live with them. It might've been a long forgotten promise like all others broken, his unit didn't forget. Almost a decade later they reached out to the Ryders, asking if they'll foster a retiring military dog, it would've been one that Finley got to train, already picked a name in advanced and everything - Dawn, like the dawn of a new day. The dog was retired early due to a post traumatic stress response from a mission, no longer fit for duty, but she was still young, and much more life to live, and Ashton was the first to immediately say yes, hoping also that when he's not home, Varina wouldn't be alone either.
Within a week, they knew she was meant to be with them, and they were filing the adoption papers making the foster a permanent addition to the Ryder family.
It's been a handful of years now and Dawn's been adjusting to a civilian life of walks, treats, pets, hikes, lazing in the afternoon. She's come to know and love most regulars in Carroll, as soft as a dog can be, despite the title of a military trained German Shepherd. Has the sharpest nose possible, once trained to sniff out explosives and drugs, now simply sniff out delicious food and other dogs, and the comforting scent of her family close by. Dawn is usually sweet and docile even to strangers in Carroll, well trained to listen to a handful of people, the Ryders and the close circle around them, but a dog's intuition is strong, and when she senses something is wrong or someone had bad intentions, she will make it known, Ashton usually listens. And if Ash isn't home, she will protect Varina doing whatever she needs to do.
Other than that, when meeting her for the first time, do wait for her family to be by her side before petting her! Her stress response sometimes might think she's in danger without her usual reassurances, but she absolutely loves cuddles and pets and scratches and hugs, and also beef jerky.
