{"id":4749,"date":"2018-07-31T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forestcamping.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/29\/ralf-brings-joy\/"},"modified":"2018-07-16T10:47:20","modified_gmt":"2018-07-16T17:47:20","slug":"ralf-brings-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestcamping.com\/dow\/suzi\/ralf-brings-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Ralf brings joy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Found this as I was going through some old postings.\u00a0 Hard to believe Ralf is probably pushing 18 years old.\u00a0 Vet thought he was 1 or 2 years old when we adopted him in 2004.\u00a0 He is now nearly totally deaf and mostly blind and a walk with him often feels more like a drag but Ralf still puts a smile on Fred’s face and brings me so much joy.\u00a0 May he be around for a long time.<\/div>\n
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We lost Victoria Lynne (a.k.a. Tory), our Golden Retriever, suddenly in the Spring of 2004.\u00a0 Within a few month I knew I needed a dog.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want a Golden.\u00a0 Tory would be my one and only Golden dog.\"Ralf\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What I wanted was a small, as in lap, dog.\u00a0 I wanted a female with a soft coat, black or chocolate brown preferred.\u00a0 I wanted a dog that I could brush occasionally but wouldn\u2019t require a groomer\u2019s attention more than twice a year.\u00a0 A sweet loving little girl who had kisses for everyone and especially me.<\/p>\n

Our vet called one morning to say he thought he had found the perfect dog for me.\u00a0 We were out the door in a flash.\u00a0 Doc Mike knew me and what I wanted.\u00a0 I trusted his opinion.<\/p>\n

As we waited his office, his assistant brought in a little bundle wrapped in a big rose colored towel.\u00a0 She handed it to me.\u00a0 The poor thing was so scared it vibrated as I cuddle it close.\u00a0 It looked up at me with the biggest roundest brownest eyes you can imagine.\u00a0 I was hooked.<\/p>\n

\"Ralf<\/a><\/p>\n

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That little bundle was Ralf, 10 pounds of attitude.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like much of anyone.\u00a0 His coat is angora soft but white and grows like a weed.\u00a0 We must see a groomer every six to eight weeks.\u00a0 He\u2019ll let me run a comb through his fur only when we are in a moving car.\u00a0 And he is all male.\u00a0 He thinks he\u2019s a Rottweiler with short legs and is very protective of all he thinks of as his.<\/p>\n

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Ralf\u2019s a rescued dog from an abusive environment.\u00a0 It took awhile for him to feel secure with us.\u00a0 He still reacts defensively toward some humans and all dogs.\u00a0 He\u2019ll bark at anything from cats on the neighbor\u2019s roof to trucks up on Rt. 80 – drives us crazy.\u00a0 Strangers and high winds turn him into a vibrating ball fur hidding in the darkest corner he can find.\u00a0 He has to pee on every vertical object between here and there.\u00a0 And he begs for food, tummy rubs, and just about everything, even if he doesn\u2019t really want it.<\/p>\n

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Ralf is the joy in my life.\u00a0 No one or thing can make Fred or I laugh like Ralf can.\u00a0 He may not be all hugs and kisses but Ralf is a great cuddler.\u00a0 He is almost as stubborn as my Fred and nearly as loving.\u00a0 No, Ralf isn\u2019t anything like what I thought I wanted but he is everything I need.\u00a0 My thanks again to Dr. Mike.<\/p>\n

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