Kenny Chesney Honors Late Dog Ruby With Powerful New Song

The country music star Kenny Chesney is honoring his beloved late dog Ruby with a powerful new charitable single that will likely bring a tear to your eye. 

Chesney Honors Dog With Song

Ruby sadly passed away on Sunday, and Chesney is preparing to release his song “Da Ruba Girl” tomorrow in her honor.

“I wrote ‘Da Ruba Girl’ about Ruby, because she was this spirit who had so many different pieces to who she was,” Chesney, 54, told People Magazine. “It was a fun song, and I’d recorded it, but never included it on an album. Instead we’d play it on No Shoes Radio, where it became a fan favorite.”

“People loved the song, I think, because they all knew a dog who had the same kind of spirit or heart, you know, the kind who was an underdog, who wasn’t the obvious choice,” he added. 

Chesney went on to say that with rescue dogs like Ruby, “it seems like they rescue their people far more than they’re actually rescued.”

“They give so much love, so much joy and loyalty,” he continued. “People don’t realize that, so these dogs have a much harder time getting adopted. It’s one of the most wonderful things about the Stray Rescue of St. Louis shelter is the way they find the dogs people abandon and throw away, who may have been abused or just left somewhere and they heal them, then find them homes where all that love they have can be returned.”

Chesney has long been active in rescuing dogs and finding them homes. Check out some evidence of that in the video below.

Related: Kenny Chesney Breaks Silence After Fan Dies At Concert

‘You Needed Her, She Needed You’

The new song is filled with emotion, with Chesney singing, “You needed her, she needed you/To hold, to help fill a space/Last in line, last cage at the rescue/Was a love that no one could replace/Lying there like a lost string of pearls/Was da Ruba girl.”

Chesney has been struggling since Ruby died, which is something that dog lovers everywhere can relate to. 

“When a dog dies, it’s a hole like no other, and as much as you love your dog when they’re alive, you really understand how deep that bond was when they slip away,” he said. “For every dog in the world like Ruby, I hope ‘Da Ruba Girl’ can bring them new homes, raise money for the shelter and remind people there’s a really profound love that happens when you adopt a rescue who truly needs a home.”

Chesney is also a dog dad to a Goldendoodle named Poncho, who he adopted back in 2012, according to Music Mayhem. 

Related: Matthew McConaughey Teams Up With Kenny Chesney For A Country Music Duet

Chesney Reveals Ruby’s Death

Chesney had taken to Instagram earlier this week to reveal Ruby’s death to fans. 

“Today we lost Da Ruba Girl,” he wrote. “Ruby lived her life never holding anything against anybody. She had an ancient, calming soul. She was honest and authentic, she was a protector, she took a warrior’s path in the journey of her life. Ruby loved the sun and how it felt on her face. She and I had that in common.”

“Today I know Ruby is sitting somewhere with the sun on her face happy and grateful to have slipped her skin and body that was full of cancer,” he continued. 

Chesney went on to talk about how much he’ll miss Ruby.

“I’m going to miss her, especially in the mornings,” he said. “That’s when she and I really connected. So bye-bye, Ruby. You were a very good girl. We loved you and thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally. You were one heaven of a dog.”

Anyone who has ever lost a dog knows what a difficult experience that is. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chesney as he continues to mourn his Ruby girl.