Name/Age: Ralph - 2 1/2 yrs old.
Family Members: Mary, Seth & Elmer (Basset/Beagle mix)- 7 yrs old
How long has Ralph been in the family? Almost 2 yrs, we adopted Ralph when he was just 4 months old.
Professions: Seth is an IT specialist at St. Joseph/Candler Hospital and Mary is a registered nurse at Memorial Health, as well as a nurse practitioner student who is graduating in December.
Location: We currently live in Savannah, Ga and are both originally from the area.
Nicknames: Ralphie or Ralph S. Mouse
5 words/phrases that best describe Ralph?
Sweet
Gentle
Playful
Adventurous
Loves to de-stuff toys
What makes Ralph unique? Ralph likes to greet everyone by walking between their legs. No matter if he knows them or not, they will soon be up close and personal with Ralph. He often does this at the dog park to innocent bystanders who are least expecting it. It’s hilarious to see their reactions, especially when they are leaning down to greet him and he skips the pet and heads straight for the walk through!
Sweet, smiling boy!
Rescue Story: We found out about Coastal Pet Rescue (CPR) through a work friend, Jen. She was actually the person who rescued Ralph, his three brothers, and their mother (NeNe). The boys were very young at the time of their rescue. They were found in a home which was a breeding establishment for fighting pit bulls. Their mother, NeNe, had plenty of scars to show how awful the conditions were. Ralph would have been raised in cages only knowing cruelty, pain, and fighting the rest of his life if not for Jen and CPR.
Jen told us about how sweet and playful the puppies were, and after we saw photos online, we had to meet him. We visited his foster home, where he was patiently sitting next to his foster mom. He was easily approachable, and all he wanted to do was lick us. We knew we wanted him as a part of our family from the moment we saw/met him. We quickly notified the rescue, and within a week, he was ours forever.
Puppy Ralph!
Ralph & his Brothers Safe!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We absolutely love taking Ralph on walking trails in wooded areas, he loves nature and the freedom to roam. He can be a little shy/scared with loud noises (like the train that passes our house often), but in the woods, he is confident and happy. We took him to a cabin in the mountains last year, and he could hardly wait for everyone to wake up so he could explore the outdoors and creek behind the house. He also hiked to the top of Amicalola Falls and loved it!
What is life like since you rescued Ralph?Initially, it was daunting bringing a new puppy into the home, especially with a much older, less active dog. But honestly, he made us a family and now we couldn’t imagine life without him.
Personally, (Mary speaking) he is my first dog. I have always been nervous around dogs because of a childhood experience, and not knowing much about pit bulls, I was scared he would be aggressive. But Ralph has changed my perception of dogs, and I realized the stigma surrounding pit bulls is far from the truth. Ralph is honestly the sweetest, most gentle, quiet, obedient dog ever. He is WONDERFUL with my nephews and wants nothing but to love everyone.
Needless to say Ralph changed our world for the better. He loves to cuddle up to us and his big brother Elmer. Although Ralph doesn’t like the car rides, he loves to explore the destinations we end at like the woods, dog parks, and the beach. He is becoming more confident at his swimming skills, but he still wears his life jacket for safety. He gave us a scare at a party with friends when he got stuck under a dock and Seth had to jump in to save him, so the life jacket is now mandatory. We have a great group of friends, and most of them have dogs, so it's nice to get everyone together and let the kids play.
Photographers Note: Volunteer #2 at beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery. There is something that goes through my head when you see a Basset and a pittie walking toward you, like it’s the start of a joke, “A basset hound and a pit bull walk into a bar”. You can not help but smile when you see the two of them approaching. Ralph is just the happiest sweetest boy and turns out is quite a model. He definitely had some impressive poses and has nailed the head tilt. 100% agree with Mary’s comment above about him loving the adventure, so many great smells but when it was time for him to be “on” with the proper motivation (treats), he posed with the best of them!