Born on Valentine’s Day Ralph is quite the romantic! He has a taste for shoes, loves to do zoomies in the park and puts a smile on every face he sees.
Lets meet Ralph….
Ralph – 2019 Cork Nose Of Tralee
County: Cork
Age: He will be 7 months on September 14th, he was born on Valentine’s day!
Breed: Miniature Schnauzer
Special Skill: He’s very good at slowly sneaking past you with something in his mouth that he’s not supposed to have, without you noticing ?
Favourite Food: The dried beef sticks from MaxiZoo, he nearly does somersaults when he sees them!
Favourite Toy: His Schnauzer teddy named Ted! He also equally likes our shoes, which some are now missing the insoles…
Favourite Place to Sleep: On the floor cuddles into the couch, underneath my feet ?
Favourite Activity: Doing zoomies around the back garden with slippers in his mouth while we’re trying to chase him to get the slippers back.. ?
Favourite Place To Go For A Walk: Old Crosshaven Railway Path (Crosshaven walk), he loves the dogs he meets down here, and he especially loves the people he meets. When he sees people walking towards us, he sits with his tail wagging waiting for them to say hello! There’s also one part where he can do down to the water, and the second he’s shoulder deep in the water he’s off doing zoomies again? He especially loves the car ride, he just pops his two paws on the door with the window down and admires the view.
Most Mischievous Thing You Have Ever Done: I decided I would help my mom start dinner before she came home one day. She arrived home and walked into the kitchen and I had helped out by peeling the potatoes for her for dinner!! She didn’t seem too happy but I did my best. ?
How Did You Come Into Your Owners Life?: My mom had a dog before me named Prince, who she got when she was 7. Prince was a Yorkshire Terrier who lived a long and happy life until December 2018 when he needed help to cross the Rainbow Bridge because of kidney failure and liver cancer. After living with a dog for 14 years, my mom decided she cannot live without one because they make every day amazing. My mom waited nearly 5 months, and her boyfriend had sent her a link to Schnauzer puppies looking for a home because he knew how much she loved Schnauzers, because of studying grooming in college. My mom and her boyfriend traveled up to Wexford to see me, and the second she saw me, she knew she had to take me home. That day was the 20th April 2019, and it’s a day I will never forget because that day was the beginning of a life of love and care for me, and to take up Prince’s role in looking after our mom.
What Makes You The Most Pawtastic Pet EVER?: It’s never a dull day with me around, every person who sees me automatically has a smile on their face while they’re saying hello. This happens no matter where we go and no matter how young or old her person is! I bring a smile to everyone’s face and I always make them smile when I run over to say hello!
Why Did You Decide To Enter The Nose Of Tralee?: I didn’t know anything about this competition until my mom washed me one day and started taking loads of photos after I was all pampered. To be honest, look at me! Why wouldn’t I enter? I’m such a cute dog and I know it! My mom would have been mad not to enter me to show off my cuteness to the world!
How Did You Prepare For The Contest and Get Votes?: There was a lot of photoshoots, too many. We went for trips to Kinsale to get the perfect photo, where I was awarded with my first pint of Guiness! We had loads of support from friends and family that knew me personally, who would help by sharing the post on their Facebook pages and they would ask their friends to vote too. My mom was on the newspaper twice, and she was also on the radio twice. Both times she was on the radio I decided I need to have my say too, so I started barking to make sure the world heard my input too!
What Did You Enjoy Most About The Nose Of Tralee?: The attention, it was endless rubs and attention from people, and it was nice to see the other types of dogs in the competition and to see the amazing support you can get from your county! My favourite part of all was the fun in the competition, and making my mom proud.
What Advice Would You Give To The Next Nose Of Your County?: Enjoy every second while you can, because the competition finishes up so quickly since you’re having so much fun! If you don’t win, don’t let it get you down because you we’re still in the competition and you still get to represent Cork for a year regardless! It’s an amazing experience, and although we didn’t win we’re so grateful for being a part of it and we can’t wait to show support for the Cork Nose 2020!
How Are You Handling Your New-Found Fame?: Oh now that I’m famous, I rule the house! If I want to sleep on the couch then I will sleep on the couch. If I want to go upstairs to my moms bed then watch me fly up those stairs! I bark out the back to let our neighbours know that they are living next to fame. I demand more rubs and treats from my mom, and because I’m famous and she loves me she gives in every time. I’ve also just gotten my first big boy groom!!
If You Could Be Any Super Hero Who Would You Be? I think I would be Spider-Man because I love trying to climb anything that’s in my way! I also think our personalities are similar because we’re both teenagers who haven’t learned the ropes of things just yet, but we’re doing our best and make people smile!
