April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OWNING PETS
From Army'schief of chaplainsto zookeeper?
Msgr. Rutherford 'retires' and buys a farm
After retiring recently from his position as the U.S. Army's chief of chaplains, Msgr. Rutherford accepted the position of moderator of the curia for the Albany Diocese, overseeing diocesan departments and their directors.
As if that wasn't enough of a change, he also got a puppy.
Msgr. Rutherford's now five-month-old West Highland White Terrier joined his two other dogs, Shelby and Bailey, who are five-year-old black lhasa apso sisters. The new pup is named Winston.
"Westies are great little companions," said Msgr. Rutherford. "I flew to Kentucky to pick him up."
Msgr. Rutherford owns a small farm on top of a hill in Poestenkill, outside of Troy; the property is fenced so the dogs can safely play outside.
When the priest comes to work a few days a week at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany, he often brings Winston with him. "Everybody loves him," he said.
As moderator of the curia, Msgr. Rutherford said he's "kind of like the chief of staff. My job is purely administrative. I make sure the staff is truly working together. We make sure the parishes get what they need."
Msgr. Rutherford is happy with his new job. "When you're a priest, you've got to do something," even in retirement, he told The Evangelist.
In fact, he's also serving as sacramental minister for Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Watervliet. "I get to baptize babies and marry people. I don't have to worry about the roof leaking or the parking lot. I get the good part."
The children in the parish's faith formation program are also big fans of Winston, asking Msgr. Rutherford to bring the energetic puppy for visits.
The Rutherford menagerie will apparently be growing in a few months: Come spring, Msgr. Rutherford is planning to get chickens, alpacas and a donkey.
"You have to get a donkey," he said seriously. "They're the protection, the watchdogs for the rest of the animals."
While growing up, the priest always had a dog. His first dog was a German shepherd. When he was an associate pastor at St. Mary's parish in Oneonta, he had Chadwick, a cocker spaniel who lived to be 17.
When Msgr. Rutherford was deployed with the Army in Germany, he found Riley. "He was abandoned," the priest recalled. "He had a rotten attitude, but he didn't mean it. He would growl, show his teeth, but do nothing about it."
In his time as an Army chaplain, Msgr. Rutherford was deployed four times: twice to Iraq, once to Afghanistan and "once to a place we don't talk about," he said. He'd attained the rank of colonel by his last deployment; he retired as a major general, serving in the Pentagon.
When he came home from that final deployment, Msgr. Rutherford adopted Shelby and Bailey. Consequently, the dogs have moved around a lot, but it "never fazed them," he said. "They jumped right in the car. They like going for rides in the car."
Winston is currently being housetrained.
That's "easy, nothing to it," remarked Msgr. Rutherford. "Every once in a while he makes a mistake, but don't we all?
"I had some tough jobs in the Army," he said. "I had some of the hardest jobs you can get. [The dogs] give you a fresh outlook on life."[[In-content Ad]]
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