When Ralph arrived at the RSPCA, he couldn’t even look at people. The little terrier would squash himself into the back of his kennel and spend all of his time staring at the wall.
His rescuers called it heartbreaking. What happened next took months of patience, and a couple from Norfolk who were ready to learn exactly what Ralph needed.
One of 26 dogs in dark sheds
Ralph was one of 26 dogs who had been kept in dark sheds. They had very little human contact.
Inspector Justin Stubbs led the operation to rescue them. He worked with their owner, who agreed to sign over all of the dogs.
“These were well loved dogs but the number had just become too much for the owner,” he said. “We worked closely with them and they agreed it would be better for the dogs to come into our care where new homes could be found for them.”
Arriving terrified
Ralph and the other dogs were taken to the RSPCA’s Block Fen Animal Centre in Wimblington, near March, in Cambridgeshire. They arrived during lockdown.
The dogs had matted fur and fleas, and they weren’t used to being handled. Most of them needed their coats shaved off because their fur was so matted. Many also had flea infestations and ear infections.
Ralph was in a bad way.
“When Ralph arrived he was completely shutdown,” said kennel supervisor Tiffany Saunders. “He would squash himself at the back of his kennel and spent all of his time staring at the wall. He was very matted and covered in faeces and urine.”
The dogs had seen little of the outside world. “They wouldn’t look at us and many would freeze if we entered their kennel,” Tiffany said.
Weeks of quiet patience
Staff cleaned the dogs up, treated their ailments and slowly started getting them used to the world outside.
With Ralph, the team simply sat with him.
“The team spent weeks just quietly sitting in his kennel with him offering him treats,” Tiffany said. “Eventually, he’d come up behind us and take the treats from our hand before running away to the safety of his corner and eating them.”
He was too frightened even to eat in front of them.
“He wouldn’t eat his dinner until night when we’d all gone home; it was heart breaking.”
The first wag
Then, one day, the team’s patience paid off. Ralph began to wag his tail.
“When Ralph first wagged his tail as we entered the kennel it was so incredible,” Tiffany said.
One by one, the other dogs started to come out of their shells too.
Learning to walk on a lead
Ralph had never worn a collar. So the team slowly introduced him to a harness and lead.
Gradually, they helped him learn how to meet new people and how to go out on walks. In all, he spent more than eight months working with the RSPCA’s behaviour and care teams.
Meeting Sarah and Trevor
In June 2021, Sarah and Trevor Rix, from Norfolk, adopted Ralph.
“Ralph was a very timid, scared little boy when we rehomed him,” Sarah said. “But with help of the RSPCA staff we became attuned to his needs and learned when to give him his space and when to encourage him to expand the boundaries of his comfort zone.”
With a calm and safe routine, his behaviour gradually improved as his trust in them grew.
Help from Rosie
Ralph has a dog sibling, Rosie, and she has helped him a lot.
“Ralph loves our other dog, Rosie, and she has helped him with some initial issues with toilet training and car travel,” Sarah said.
The two love going for woodland walks. Recently, Sarah and Trevor took the brave step of letting Ralph off the lead to run and play in safe areas. “He absolutely loves this,” Sarah said.
“Such a happy, confident dog”
Ralph has made lots of new friends, “some four-legged, some two-legged,” Sarah said.
People who know him say they can’t believe the change. They have watched him go from a nervous seven-year-old pup to “such a happy, confident dog.”
“Ralph is a lovely little chap who melts the hearts of everyone he meets and is a favourite with all our family especially the grandchildren,” Sarah said.
“He is a very sensitive and gentle character who may never fully escape his history but, every day, he brings love into our home. We feel the day we met him was the start of a wonderful relationship for all of us.”
Unrecognisable
For the team at Block Fen, seeing Ralph now is what the job is all about.
“It’s so wonderful to see how well Ralph is now doing in his new home, he’s unrecognisable from the frightened little dog who arrived with his friends almost 18 months ago during lockdown,” Tiffany said.
“This is what we do this job for, so dogs like Ralph can have the second chance that they deserve.” ❤️
Story retold from public reporting. Credit: Cambridge News / RSPCA (https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/rescue-dog-who-hid-kennel-23461973). Photos are reference only; usage rights are pending and images will appear only once permission is granted.
Images in this article are illustrative recreations made for this story, not photographs of the dog.
