They wondered if he would ever have a dog friend.
By Sarah Ashley
Published on Aug 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Back on Christmas Day 2021, a fearful stray dog arrived at a shelter in Evanston, Illinois. Ralphie’s life on the streets had taught him to fear everything, and in the shelter, he was constantly triggered.
“Ralphie was really struggling,” Lauren Burns, Ralphie’s eventual foster mom, told The Dodo. “He didn’t get along well with other dogs or with men. He was so scared in there.” Shelter staff wondered if Ralphie would ever have a dog friend.
Ralphie ended up spending three years — 1,100 days — at the Evanston Animal Shelter before they asked Burns, a seasoned foster who works with reactive dogs, to assess him.
“He was really shy and pretty on edge in my home,” Burns said. On walks, Ralphie would growl and cower at new things, including advertisements with strangers on them. Burns knew introducing Ralphie to her own dog, Winnie, or her boyfriend might never happen.
After some trial and error, Burns realized that snacks were the way to Ralphie’s heart. “Bribing” him with treats and delicious morsels of his favorite foods, like peanut butter, Burns saw some of Ralphie’s tough exterior begin to melt.
Slowly but surely, Ralphie learned that playing with toys could be fun. He began to enjoy life. Burns took a leap and introduced Ralphie to Winnie.
Their first encounters were in Burns’ home, with one dog in a crate and the other roaming about.
“I always rewarded him and Winnie when they were able to calmly be by each other,” Burns said.
Over time, Ralphie grew more confident around Winnie. He managed to entertain himself with his favorite toys while Winnie was in the same room. The dogs went for walks together, with muzzles on “for everyone’s safety,” Burns said.
A huge breakthrough came one afternoon out on Burns’ balcony. Winnie hovered over Ralphie, who lounged on a fluffy dog bed. The two sniffed each other for a few moments and then began playing together, wrestling and goofing around.
Ralphie officially had a dog friend.
This connection with Winnie seemed to open a door to Ralphie’s heart. He allowed Burns’ boyfriend to go on walks with them, then even let her boyfriend pet him. When Ralphie started sitting in Burns’ boyfriend’s lap, she could hardly believe it.
“We were both very proud of his progress and how brave he was being,” Burns said. “He’s slowly learned that new things can be exciting and not too scary after all.”
Burns has been Ralphie’s foster mom for over a year. “He really is so easy day to day,” she said. “He’s quiet and is great … He’ll make you laugh every single day.”
While she loves him deeply, Burns knows Ralphie’s perfect forever home is one where he is the only dog, where he can bask in all the attention and love he only recently learned to accept.
And Ralphie is so worth it.
If you are interested in adopting Ralphie, you can reach out to the Evanston Animal Shelter.
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Reporter Hears Cries In Building’s Rubble — Then Discovers A Fluffy Survivor
“[S]he’s pretty darn strong …”
By Ashley Ortiz
As a national correspondent, NewsNation reporter Ryan Bass spent weeks documenting Hurricanes Helene and Milton from Florida’s Tampa Bay area. While continuously reporting on the destruction felt mostly heartbreaking, Bass found an unexpected glimmer of hope in the rubble the morning after Hurricane Milton.
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