Rafa is 4 years old and a rescue from Binghamton, NY.  He’s named after Rafa Nadal, the Spanish tennis player.

He loves to be held like this, stretched as long as he can go.  In this photo, he was yawning and squeaking with pleasure when my son Tyler came for a visit and picked him up.

The neighborhood children all come over to call for him, and the little dog across the street is his best friend.  He loves people and will follow any visitor around the house, rubbing on their legs.  He’s a real character.

- Doris Ogden, Research Specialist, Nutrition and Food Sciences