Ralph the Dog:  A legend in her own time!

One of the only subjects who did not get an alias in the book, From Woodstock To Eternity is the hero’s blonde companion, Ralph.  Ralph was unique from all other dogs in the world, because she was a human hidden inside a dog body.  That’s right, I said “she”.  This female German Shepherd/ Border Collie mix was called Ralph because she had an owner for a couple of weeks after she was born, and he said that she just looked like a Ralph.  So, he named her Ralph, which turned out to be the perfect name for a blonde, female German Shepherd.

Ralph could communicate with her eyes and her tail.  Any combination of expressions from these two features would say what she wanted to say.  She could plead, show that she was happy or sad, know when she was in trouble, and give advice on world affairs.  She was a diplomat of the highest order, making herself known in all of the Blacksburg community in the early 1970’s.

From Woodstock To Eternity

Ralph was even featured in a book about the culturally explosive times of the Woodstock era.  Immortalized in print, she became one of the leading supporting characters to her owner, Captain Dustin Morgan.  Here is an excerpt….

You’ve always got the one companion who never leaves you, is always there, patiently waiting.  She doesn’t care if you’re drunk, or tripping, or speeding, or early or late, or anything; as long as she is with you.  She doesn’t complain, doesn’t criticize, doesn’t

Ralph at two years old

whine.  Yes, she’s been sitting out in the truck for hours now, just waiting for you to come back.  That’s what I need to do.  I need to get up right now and go out West.  I need to go to Colorado.

….. Sitting faithfully in the passenger’s seat, overjoyed at his return, is his female companion; his blonde German Shepherd, Ralph.

“Ralphie, girl, guess what?  We’re goin’ to Colorado!  What do you think about that?”

Pound, pound, pound. 

The tail beats against the seat cushion as she licks his hand and whimpers with glee that her master is back.

“You know you’re just a dog.  You’re not a human, and you can’t talk.  You’re never gonna talk, even though you think you can talk.  Now just get all that out of your head.”

Pound, pound, pound.

People still talk about her today, and she will forever be known as Ralph the Dog.