Laraque
When Laraque was very young, Ben adopted him from the Arizona Humane Society, where he was scheduled to be euthanized the next day. Laraque was skinny and timid, but after awhile with the family, that all changed. Since Laraque came from a household where his parents were abused, he inherited a natural distrust towards humans. The Velez’s are still working with him to get past his trust issues, and he is making a lot of progress. Today Laraque leads a joyous life, and is friends with all humans and animals in the house.
Laraque was named after hockey tough guy Georges Laraque. The Velez ’s are Phoenix Coyote hockey fans, and Georges Laraque played here for about a half of a season. He was fun to watch, and when Laraque the dog was adopted from the Phoenix Humane Society, it seemed like a natural name. Laraque the dog was always a bit of an instigator, and he recently stood up for Shiloh at the dog park when another dog was getting into her space.