ralphie

Dog Name: Ralphie

Breed: Husky

Sex: Male

Age: 12-13

Weight: 54 pounds

Medical Needs: Some vision loss, some hearing loss, some stinky breath, some old man joints. His breathing sounds a little rough due to laryngeal paralysis. Currently takes gabapentin and carprofen for old man pain management and a monthly round of antibiotics for his bad teeth. Monthly cost is about $50. He sometimes struggles on slippery floors, other times he's fine. 

Housebroken: Yes

Crate trained: Yes, you'll have to leash him and guide him in though. He likes to put on the brakes at first. Once he's in, he sleeps all night.

Good in the car: Yes, lays down.

Good on a leash: Yes, great on a leash! Walks next to you, barely ever pulls.

Energy level: Low

Need a fenced in yard: Not if you keep him leashed. You don’t want him wandering off with his vision and hearing impairment.

Dog Friendly: Yes, pretty calm during intros! Given his age he’d do best with other low-key dogs. His playful days are behind him.

If yes, does your foster need another dog in its adoptive homes? No

Cat Friendly: We haven’t seen him in a household with cats but he was indifferent to outside cats. We can do a more thorough cat test if needed.

Kid Friendly: Yes

If yes, what's the youngest child you'd recommend they be placed with? I’d say older kids/teenagers. Grandpa likes his sleep and doesn't want to be pulled around.

Special traits that make your foster special or that we need to know about them: Raphie was brought in as a stray, so not much background. Shelter staff said he seems deaf and half blind. I think he can hear but just doesn't care to listen. #husky #independent

He will perform for the right treats, preferably something soft. He knows sit, paw and down. He’ll do them just by using hand signals.

He talks back when he doesn’t want to do something. Definitely still has some husky attitude despite his ripe old age. He'd be a great dog for someone who likes the husky look without the husky energy. He sleeps a LOT. He picked a favorite spot on day 1 and that’s where you’ll find him 95% of the time. He'll bark if he can't get to his spot.

Fosters Location: Delmar, MD

Application can be found here: https://www.grrde.org/adoption-application If you already have an approved application on file, email GrassRootsDE@gmail.com and ask the app team to pull your application.
##2463037##