Actress Ashley Judd used to take her dog Shug with her absolutely everywhere. The support dog accompanied her to every movie set she played on during her lifetime; and though the canine passed away at age 17, the unconditional love she showed lives on.
“Dogs practice presence,” Judd shared in an interview with The Christian Post. “They love us exactly as we are. Sometimes, that’s all we need; just sitting with someone and letting our empathy flow is the greatest helpfulness.”
Judd went on to reveal that Shug was not only a compassionate companion for her, but also for others — like a total stranger in an airport who the pup stopped from committing suicide.
On a trip from Czech Republic to New York, the actress and her dog landed in the LaGuardia airport. Judd took off the cocker spaniel-poodle’s vest, and Shug quickly darted through the terminal to plant herself by a man writing in a notebook.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what is going on? My dog never behaves this way,” the 50-year-old starlet recalled. “So I went over to retrieve my dog, and he asked what her name was, and he said, ‘Oh, she’s cute,’ etc, etc, and we briefly chatted before I walked away.”
A little while later, Judd felt the presence of a shadow above her. When she looked up, she noticed it was the same man standing there.
“May I show you what I was writing?” he asked.