Meet Rhubarb, the dog who found her forever home by starring in a Fayetteville play

Rhubarb, a 1-and-a-half-year-old brindle terrier mix, spent much of her life at the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society on Bragg Boulevard.

That is, until she was handpicked to star in a local Shakespeare production, and shortly after, adopted by a family who lives on a 45-acre olive grove and fruit orchard in Scotland County.

Rhubarb was one of three dogs that the pet shelter offered Sweet Tea Shakespeare to play the role of Spot in the troupe's late June run of "Shakespeare in Love." Her sweet demeanor made her the obvious choice, said cast member Annabeth Clark, 25, who fostered Rhubarb for two weeks during the show.

“Immediately, she cuddled right up to me,” Clark said.

Like any new performer, Rhubarb had some stage fright on the production’s opening night at the Downtown Market Of Fayetteville, Sweet Tea Shakespeare founder Jeremy Fiebig said. However, by the third night, she came into her own, proudly stepping into her role and even greeting audiences at their seats ahead of the show.

“It took a while for her to warm up,” he said. “After a couple performances, she was doing really well.”

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Though audiences fawned over the canine, Rhubarb found her forever home with a vendor at one of the shows, Crew Family Orchards. Dr. Amanda Crew, who served as an Army pharmacist, and her husband, Nate, a retired Army Special Forces soldier, started the farm in Fayetteville in 2016 and moved their operations to Wagram in 2020.

Crew and her husband were already looking for another dog to join them, their two boys, Jackson, 8, and Willy, 7, and their 13-year-old pitbull, Luther, on the farm. When the family met Rhubarb at the show, Crew said, they knew their search was over.

“She’s the perfect missing link,” she said. “It just seemed right.”

Rhubarb came to live with the family in early July, and they officially adopted her about a week later, she said. Since then, some of Rhubarb’s favorite pastimes have included pestering the chickens, playing with Luther, helping the boys run the fruit stand and racing with them around the farm each night before bed, Crew said.

“She’s got the best personality,” she said. “My boys fell in love with her.”

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After a lifetime in the shelter, save for a nine-month stint with a family that ultimately returned her, Rhubarb has found a peaceful life among the peach and pear orchards, berry bushes and olive trees at Crew Family Orchards, which are all sustainably farmed by hand, Crew said.

There are dozens of pets, however, available for adoption at the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society, according to the website. A 6-year-old hound mix, Merida, has been there the longest out of all adoptable dogs; she’s been there since mid-October. A 3-year-old domestic shorthair, Catalina, has been at the shelter the longest out of all adoptable cats; she’s been there since mid-March.

To view adoptable pets, donate or volunteer, visit fapspet.org.

Taylor Shook writes about food, dining and business for The Fayetteville Observer. She can be reached at tshook@gannett.com, on Twitter, or Facebook.  

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville shelter dog adopted by veteran-owned Crew Family Orchards