Ralphie, known as the “fire-breathing demon” dog after going viral for its adoption ad, is once again looking for a new home.
Just two weeks after being adopted by a new owner who was “completely in love,” Ralphie was returned to the Niagara SPCA in Niagara Falls, New York. In a Feb. 14 update, the shelter shared that while the adopter had the right household dynamic, “the adorable Frenchie with the attitude” proved to be “more than she could handle.”
“Kudos to her though for making the right decision. There were some bad choices made by both, but they parted ways amicably,” the post continued, making jokes about how Ralphie “took his cd’s and she kept his sweatshirt.”
“She now understands that Ralphie IS that good-looking bad boy everyone’s mama warns them about,” the post added.
The shelter, however, noted that it is unfortunate that Ralphie is back to square one, but they are committed to helping him.
The shelter reached out to Ralphie’s original owner to get some insight into his behavior. They also enlisted the help of a new trainer who will work with Ralphie during “an intensive 6 week board and train” that will begin on Feb. 20.
They will then begin vetting adoptive homes in the area as they want the adopter to work closely with Ralphie and the new trainer. The shelter also made it clear on who should not apply to adopt the pup.
“Those who should not apply: Believers that all Ralphie needs is love. He will totally exploit that,” the message read. “Those who think our restrictions of no other animals or no kids do not apply to them. Just no. Ralphie has a bite history. You should not want that for your child- 2 legged or 4 (but possibly 3).”
For those serious about taking Ralphie in, they want the person to write a letter with their full dog experience and include why they believe their home is the right fit for Ralphie.
The 26-pound, black-and-white dog first went viral after the shelter posted an adoption ad on their Facebook on Jan. 17. In it, they called Ralphie “a terror in a somewhat small package” and giving him the “demon” dog moniker.
On Feb. 4, the shelter announced that Ralphie had found a new home and that he was doing really well with his new family.
In the note from his new mom, she questioned “where the name ‘Demon Dog’ came from.”
“And then I saw a few things... although, I’m pretty convinced it’s nothing we can’t work on and get figured out!” she wrote in her post.
And while it wasn’t a good fit, in Ralphie’s latest Feb. 14 update, the shelter wrote, “Negative comments will be deleted. No one likes that it didn’t work out for Ralphie, but he will receive the training he needs.”