A giant, puffy pooch will be playing with a ball and chasing a butterfly outside Hamilton's city hall this summer.

His name is Ralph and that long, flowing fur you're seeing is actually a type of shaggy grass called carex bronco.

"It's just a playful, fun, floral feature to have at city hall," explained the city's superintendent of horticulture, Marcia Monaghan.

Ralph's "fur" is actually a grass called carex bronco. His insides are made of a wire frame, bags of soil and irrigation hoses. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Ralph got his name after city staff voted on a list of 15 monikers, from Louie and Buddy to Hammer.

His grass will "max out" at about a foot long, according to Monaghan, who explained that means his "fur" might need a trim at some point this summer.

The pup is made out of three separate wire frames — counting his tail — that come complete with irrigation hoses and bags packed with soil to give the grass something to grip.

A city worker prepares to bolt on Ralph's tail with the help of a boom truck. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Hamilton's horticulture staff spend most of their time weeding and cutting back plants, so working on Ralph and watching him grow has been a treat.

"Once it started growing you got a real feel for how it would look," said Monaghan, who estimates at least 100 hours were spent putting the pooch together. "It's just been amazing. Everyone is thrilled with it."

Staff will continue to give Ralph water throughout the dog days of summer and he's expected to stick around until the first frost or "October, probably."

The good dog drew plenty of curious onlookers as it was installed Wednesday, including Michelle Heppel who was shocked to learn the sculpture was actually a growing, living plant.

The statue was already drawing gawkers as it was installed Wednesday. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Along with the city's Hamilton sign, she said Ralph is sure to attract animal lovers and selfie-takers alike.

"This initiative is very unique in that it's a living plant," she said. "I think it's going to bring a lot of attention to our city."

But at least one of Ralph's visitors didn't seem overly impressed.

Dash, Mayor Fred Eisenberger's miniature golden doodle seemed more interested in digging into the freshly turned soil than meeting his new canine companion at city hall.