Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

The Story of John Ruffing

Some of you remember John Ruffing WMS c/o 84. During the 80’s, he worked in the mall food court for years, hiring many of us. He went to Cal U then Penn to become a veterinarian. Then he worked in Dravosburg and Pleasant Hills among other spaces. In addition, he lived in WM the entire time from Lebanon Manor to Meadowlark Lane.

John died at age 41 in 2007. It was utterly heartbreaking. Still, I can’t describe how much it hurt and continues to hurt growing older without him. John was my prom date! He was the greatest person.

Back in the day, people drove from Jersey to Pittsburgh for routine vet appointments b/c they loved him. Also, he was a ‘plop on the floor to meet the animal where they were’ kind of vet. Without fail, he sent cat/dog angel pins with condolence cards to every human whose pet he euthanized or wasn’t able to save.  In addition to the card from the practice.

People love Dr. Ruffing because Dr. Ruffing loved their pets. Without a doubt, each one was in his heart to the point that the emotional weight of his work was challenging. But he was born to be a vet; he was a modern incarnation of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Dr. John P. Ruffing Pet Food Projects

To honor him and the animals he loved, his family and I set up The John P. Ruffing DVM Pet Food Projects as part of the nonprofit I run.

We have an event next month on the Northside on September 7, a (back)YardSale to distribute donated items and raise funds. We could use your support now. We hope to organize a pet food drive in WM in partnership with a rescue based in Elizabeth.

Yes we are on the Northside because that is where I’ve lived for 18+ years. John and I used to come dancing over here in the early 90s. We came to museums, events, games, and more. But I think John would mostly be proud that I made my home here and have spent four years feeding community cats daily.

Now, please consider honoring John’s legacy and the memory of your own beloved pets with a donation

• items for yard sale
• raffle basket for yard sale
• pet food for pantry
• financial sponsorship
• if you have promo tote bags, we need 100

How to Help This Legacy for John

Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities is a Manchester based 501c3. One of the projects is our #PghCatFolx efforts. Our focus is to support the people (neighbors) taking care of the cats.We are not a rescue, we support rescues.

Suggested Sponsorship levels
*$250 – provides 10 bags of cat food for a colony. Your logo at each station for our event.
*100 – covers one spay/neuter for a colony cat. Your logo at one table at the event.
*$50 – one winter shelter stuffed with straw Your logo at the checkout table.
*$25 – a case of canned food to build up the cats before winter. Your logo at rhetoric checkout table.
*Raffle baskets/items any value. Any type of theme is welcome.

We will also give you five touts on social media and list your organization in a blog post. We’ll also include a printed flyer for each transaction listing the donors. Our social media and blog following exceeds 75k.

The Impact of John on Our Work

Our colony, Fort Faulsey, is a good example of the value of a caretaker. Since we took over in 2020, every cat is now spayed/neutered and we’ve had no kittens. We’ve helped to find and return dozens cats that were missing or lost. It is still not an idyllic life for the cats, but clean water, regular food, and shelter have an impact.

We’ve also helped neighbors with unexpected vet bills, missing pets, and connecting with resources. We’ve worked when kittens were found at Kennywood, to place cats from the Steel Valkey when their owners had to move into supported housing, to support colony caretakers in Munhall and West Mifflin.

This event is intended to raise funds for #PghCatFolx projects,but also to distribute the excess
items we have on hand directly to rescues. We will not charge rescue groups. Individuals will be asked to make a donation for items they like. If you can donate items, please reach out to us at folx@pghlgbtq.org or 412-216-3535 at your convenience.

How to Donate in memory of John

We can accept donations
via Venmo @PittsburghLGBTQ
via FB at Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities – > click donation
via PayPal Charities bit.ly/PayPalPLC
or via check payable to Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities 1439 W North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233.

Thank you for your consideration

PS: Help us Connect with former clients, coworkers, etc who also loved John

If you were his client, worked with him, or otherwise knew him, please reach out. I’d love to loop folks together with his family. You can email me or join the Facebook group.

We also did set up an Amazon wishlist for John’s Pantry.