Name: Ralphie - 7 y/o
How long has Ralphie been in the family? 3 years (gotcha day is 12/15)
Family Members: Macie, Ralphie's Grandparents: Ellen & George, Brother/Uncle - Alec (19 yo), Mama Kitty (cat; 11 yo), and Puddin (cat; 10 yo)
Profession: I’m a student. I just finished my undergrad and am waiting to go to vet school next fall. In the meantime, I work as a vet assistant.
Location: Sugar Hill, GA
Nicknames: Ralph, Ralphington, Boopie doo, Bubby
5 of the best words/phrases that describe Ralphie?
- Loyal
- Patient
- Goofy
- Smart
- Special
What makes Ralphie unique? Ralphie likes to rub his head on the floor while keeping his bottom as high in the air as possible. He’ll do this in the grass and slide down our front yard in the same position.
Belly Rubs are the best!
Rescue Story: Ralphie was dropped off for boarding at an animal hospital when he was 1.5 years old, and his owner never picked him up. He became the guard dog there, and lived in the kennel for 3 years. I really bonded with him the summer before starting college, and ended up adopting him in December 2014 as my emotional support animal.
A Gotcha Day with Santa!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We love taking him hiking, especially when I was at school and had access to a lot of trails. At home, we enjoy watching him get the zoomies in the creek behind our house.
What is life like since you rescued Ralphie? I think rescuing Ralphie was the best thing to ever happen to either of us. We are with each other all the time, and he finally understands that he has a home where he is safe and loved. As my emotional support animal, we started pet friendly housing at my college, and I wouldn’t have been able to graduate without him. He helps me with social anxiety and depression, so it’s great to get out of the house to walk him. He helps me meet people and gives me confidence because I know he’ll always love me. Ralphie has been an absolute light in my life. Here’s the Facebook post I made about our journey after I finished school. (click on Facebook Post)
Photographers Note: First things first, having a volunteer named Ralphie just 5 days after Christmas and after having watched A Christmas Story no less then 10 times...it was definitely a well timed photo shoot. (and his Gotcha photo is with Santa..HELLO!!)
When I arrived at Macie and Ralphie's home, the first thing Macie's Mom said to me was this story is about them. Macie rescued him and she trained him, it's all about them. After spending just a couple minutes with this pair, I couldn't agree more. You can just see the special bond between them; Ralphie is all about Macie! He greeted me as any good gentlemen would but for the most part he was looking to his Mom for direction and attention. (he is very well trained). He even had the opportunity to show me around his extended backyard which included a creek that he wanted to slop around in a bit. As luck would have it, I even captured his signature/unique move which I posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages as an outtake and didn't even know that was his thing! If you want to follow more of Ralphie's adventures you can find him on Instagram @ravi_ralphie. I personally can't wait to see his adventures at Vet School!