For those of you who didn’t get to know him, RAFA was our longest resident, being looked after at NCAR for 8 years. He had a feisty temperament, However, the staff never gave up on him, knowing that the right home was just around the corner.

Then NCAR supporter, Christine Williams came to us looking for a new dog:

“I have always gone for large dogs and particularly ones with issues.
I had re-homed a delinquent Rottweiler earlier in the year, I was expecting something on the larger side. When I went back to the Rescue I was more than a little surprised to meet a ‘rat on a rope’ by the name of ‘Rafa’.

He looked cute enough and I couldn’t see why he hadn’t been re-homed.
Eight years in the rescue seemed a bit excessive, so I offered to give him a go for a couple of hours to see how he got on with my other three dogs.

The initial signs were good, how hard can it be to sort out a little Jack Russell after all? “Rafa doesn’t like being brushed” I had been told, but when a dog is covered in sticky bobs you have to do something. Donning a pair of welding gloves, I set about the task.

I was greeted with a rotating ball of fur and teeth as Rafa took extreme exception to the brush! Through hard work and patience, Rafa is now a reformed character and a delight to be with.

He no longer tries to terrorise everyone but accepts his place in society and is a happy little chappie. Underneath that tough exterior is a cute little dog who loves to be cuddled and run around all day.

Trips out in the car or horse-box are the best bits of his week along with frequent visits to see everyone back at the rescue. The real highlight for him is when Barry, who is a valued volunteer at NCAR, comes to visit.

Barry was one of the people he was close to for all those years in the rescue and the one who always brings him a nice pork pie or sausage roll and gives him a big cuddle.”

Sadly Rafa passed over rainbow bridge a few years back now, but he will always be remembered for being a little monkey! Sweet dreams little man!