Ralphie

Meet Ralphie from Anika’s litter! These enormous babies are German Shepherd mixes, which we know because mom is clearly a German Shepherd mix. We have no idea what breed dad is, so we would classify this litter as a Heinz 57 mix. The pups are 8 weeks old, weigh 17-22 pounds and should grow to be around 70-85 pounds. We first learned of this family when we were contacted about a pregnant dog that had been living in a field near a Central Valley gas station. We hustled around looking for a foster home to care for the family while a rescuer in the Central Valley went and secured mama dog. Fate added another wrinkle when Anika delivered 10 puppies before she could be transported to Sonoma County. Mom and puppies arrived a day or so later and settled into live as house dogs. The litter had a rough start at life and were supplemental bottle fed by our dedicated foster family. Poor Anika was malnourished and couldn’t produce enough milk to feed all 10 puppies. The litter grew into giant, healthy, well-adjusted puppies. Being hand nursed has made them unapologetically comfortable with people and they will saunter over and lay their giant bodies across any warm lap that’s available. The world is their oyster, and if you adopt one of them, you will be the shell. They sleep in a large pen at night with their siblings, have begun potty training, and are not leash trained. They have not been around cats or other house pets but have been around teenage children. The have been handled daily since birth and have no fear of humans. On a side note, their mother, Anika, is one of the best dogs we’ve ever had through our rescue and has one of the most beautiful dispositions we’ve ever seen in a dog. If these puppies grow up to be half the dog she is it will be the best dog you’ll have your entire life. If anyone needs a reminder to be grateful for what they have, come meet this dog. Prospective adopters should be familiar with the breed and will be required to enroll in puppy socialization classes and the Puppy Kindergarten course at K9 Activity Club in Santa Rosa before completing the adoption process. To apply for an animal please complete our adoption application. Once completed email to [email protected]. Put name of dog and litter you are interested in in the subject line. If you have already sent in an application in the past, please reattach it to your current email. We do not keep applications on file. We try to respond to all emails but due to the volume of messages we receive that is not always possible.