‘Demon Dog’ gets adopted, and his new owner says she questioned the name — at first

UPDATE: Ralphie is again up for adoption after his new owner surrendered him, according to a Feb. 14 update from Niagara SPCA. He’s scheduled to begin an intensive six-week training program.

The original story is below.

When Ralphie was surrendered to a New York animal shelter, the staff knew they were going to have a tough time finding him a new home.

While he’s a cute, little dog with a toothy grin, Ralphie also has a lot of “less than desirable traits.”

“At first glance, he’s an adorable highly sought after, young dog,” Niagara SPCA said in a Jan. 17 Facebook post. “People should be banging down our doors for him. We promise you, that won’t be the case.”

That’s because he’s essentially a “fire-breathing demon” dog, the shelter based in Niagara Falls said at the time. He also believes he’s the boss and will exploit your weaknesses.

In a later update, the shelter said that while staff “used humor to help make his behaviors more palatable for public consumption,” Ralphie’s situation was no joke.

“His only saving grace is he is small and has some obedience training,” Niagara SPCA said. “He really needs a no nonsense owner. Otherwise, there may be no hope for him.”

Now, less than a month after the shelter’s first post, Ralphie has found a new home with an owner who loves him very much.

“Ralphie the terror” was adopted Thursday, Feb. 2, according to the shelter.

Two days later, after giving his new mom space to adjust and time to ensure there were no early injury reports, the shelter provided an update on their “favorite devil.”

His owner said she’s in love with him and describes him as amazing.

“I was literally questioning where the name ‘Demon Dog’ came from.. & then I saw a few things...,” she told the shelter staff. “Although, i’m pretty convinced it’s nothing we can’t work on and get figured out!”

That’s because she’s already discovered what she considers her “secret training treat” — hot dogs that she slices and dries out in the microwave.

She admits that Ralphie is a “nipper,” and she gets the impression that he knows it’s a problem.

“We have ALOT OF ‘REINFORCEMENT CHATS,’” she said in the post.

He’s getting used to potty training, though he does prefer to go poop on the carpet (it’s really cold outside, so his owner said she can’t blame him).

“All in all… He is amazing, and He found A HAPPY PLACE with me because he saved me as much as I saved him,” Ralphie’s owner said. “I feel blessed!”

This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 10:35 AM with the headline "‘Demon Dog’ gets adopted, and his new owner says she questioned the name — at first."