Bentonville dog selected as 2021 Early Times All-American Dog

Early Times, an All-American Whisky since 1860, searched the country to find “All-American Dogs” and has selected a Bentonville, Virginia, dog as one of the 10 winners in a national contest. Ruger, a five-year-old Belgian Malinois-Pitbull mix, was chosen from tens-of-thousands of entries as part of the Early Times All-American Dogs social media campaign. Ruger participated in a photoshoot with other All-American dogs from across the country, and her picture will be featured in the Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar later this fall. On Monday, August 10, a billboard featuring Ruger was also revealed in Front Royal near VA-37 and Route 11.

FRONT ROYAL, VA – JUNE 14: Ruger is a Belgian and pitbull mix. Lisa Parker Jones is her owner.

“We knew Ruger was a winner based on his heroism,” said Robert Trinkle, Partner and Senior Vice President, PriceWeber. “Ruger is a search and rescue dog who finds missing pets in his area. His dedication to serving others makes him a perfect example of an Early Times All-American dog.”

“The backbone of America is helping each other and doing good things,” said Lisa Jones, Ruger’s owner. “Every day, Ruger is doing a hero’s work, and she is a hero to a lot of people – that is All-American.”

The 10 winners hail from Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Nevada and Indiana. The Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar includes stories of redemption, lifesaving-heroics, military training and unwavering companionship, and will be available to the public in a downloadable and printable version on the Early Times website.

The calendar will also feature Molly, the one-year-old rescue dog sponsored by Early Times. Molly is training to become a service canine as part of the brand’s longtime partnership with K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit organization committed to training service canines for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and other trauma resulting from post-9/11 military service. To date, Early Times has donated $200,000 to K9s For Warriors.