Usually, three strikes and you are out. But for Ralphie, a New York animal shelter’s adorable “jerk” dog, the fourth time’s the charm! The Niagara SPCA has announced that Ralphie has a new home in Tennessee after three unsuccessful adoptions.
Ralphie’s most recent adoption ended in failure when the woman who adopted the French bulldog realized that he “proved to be more than she could handle.” But the animal shelter knew it wouldn’t be easy to find a family who could handle the dog they described as a “fire-breathing demon.”
Ralphie became a viral sensation in the media a few months ago after the Niagara SPCA spelled out how troublesome Ralphie really is. He bites. He is territorial. He thinks he’s the boss in every situation. Not the ideal pet, to be sure.
But the Niagara SPCA said in a recent Facebook post that they had found a “unicorn adopter” among the 700 plus applications they received. Originally, the rescue organization had not considered homes with other dogs for Ralphie. But this adopter named Jason trains dogs professionally for the Department of Energy in Tennessee. And Ralphie has joined Jason’s pack of a French bulldog, a Jack Russell, and a German shepherd.
The shelter changed their requirements after Ralphie did well in a six-week boarding and training program. They explained why they selected Jason’s home, “Some of that has to do with learning more about Ralphie through training – mainly getting him over his reactivity around other dogs. The rest – well, that has to do with Jason being a unicorn adopter.”
“Jason is uniquely qualified because both his Frenchie and Dachshund [actually Jack Russell] had bite histories before living with him,” they further explained. “As for the German Shepherd – well, he is just lovely and super accepting of everyone.”
Ralphie on his way to Tennessee. Niagara SPCA
Jason will “provide him with structure, and give him an outlet for all that Frenchie energy,” wrote the shelter. Jason takes his dogs on marathons and they compete in agility and flyball. “He dedicates his life to dogs and that’s what makes him a perfect match for Ralphie,” the Niagara SPCA continued.
Jason has already posted several updates of life with Ralphie to his new social media pages.
Ralphie has met his new brothers and sisters. “First up is my big sister Cookie. She’s also from Buffalo! And she was also adopted with a bite record but we don’t need to talk about that; Her favorite food is pizza and she loves to run and hike and play with her Jolly Egg,” wrote “Ralphie” (ergo Jason).
Then there’s Tizzy. She’s a 10 year old Jack Russell. “She was born in a puppy mill and later rescued by some very kind people in Georgia. My dad adopted her when she was 3 and they went on to compete in agility for 4 years before she retired at 7. Her favorite food is food and she has agreed to be my agility coach. We’re going out for my first lesson later today!”
Ralphie’s already hard at work learning to excel on the agility course. Tizzy will show him the ropes. “And even though it was my first time, I surprised Dad by already running through tunnels and climbing the A frame,” a recent post on Facebook reads. He says I definitely have what it takes and if I keep training I might even be able to compete in the Novice division later this year. I’m ready! Let’s get to work!”
And finally, Ralphie got to meet his big brother, Lery, a 13 year old German Shepherd. “He was the first dog my dad ever trained for the department. Lery worked as a tracking patrol dog for 8 years and when it came time to retire my dad brought him home. His favorite food is popcorn and his favorite activity used to be protecting nuclear facilities.”
The Niagara SPCA is already thrilled to see Ralphie’s progress with his new family. “We wish our tiny, reformed terror all the best and we look forward to hearing about all of his adventures,” they wrote. “Will agility be his jam, or maybe he’ll beat his new sibling, Cookie’s 5k time of 36:06??? Whatever his next adventure is, we know he’s set up for a successful future!”
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