Asher came to us as an emergency foster. We took him in and thought, what in the hell did we get ourselves into?? He had some strong and aggressive ways…not to mention his stubbornness. He spent 2 weeks on a 25-foot lead attached to my bed just so he would not bite anyone. Every day I would give him tons of attention and pets, then take him for walks around the yard. Oh, he would snap at me, but I would just stay calm and keep trying with him. Asher would try to bully you any chance he got up to the day he left us. After about two weeks I told Wamal I was going to just keep him. He was ornery and a handful but I could see beyond that to his possibilities. As time went on Asher became my best bud. Asher was on thyroid medication but due to some of his aggressive ways it was suggested we reduce the amount. It did make a difference once his levels were re-adjusted.

Asher loved to go for car rides and occasionally cussed out other drivers if we sat in traffic too long. At home Asher would always lay looking away from me in a doorway as if he were protecting me. He was fearless except for a running vacuum cleaner. But if you turned it off and walked away, he would head butt it. One of my favorite memories, and I do have a lot of them, was when I was raking up leaves. I had put them into six piles. Asher laid on the deck the whole time watching me. I finished and was taking a break and all the sudden he got up and ran through every single pile of them then looked at me with this smirk. I got them all raked back into piles again and Asher then went from pile to pile and peed on them. Hence his nickname “little pisser”.

Asher was always by my side. He would always greet me with a smile and woo. He had to give my wife kisses every night before bed and if she went to bed before he got them, he would wake her up. If you let him, he would bully until the day he passed. He loved his stuffed hedgehog and his treats that Aunt Rickie would send. For a pup that started out so aggressive he sure loved to give his kisses. He was not a cuddle dog but he always wanted to be by my side or “protecting” me. I would go outside with him at times and just sit with him. That was all he wanted.

One thing Asher taught me was that you can take a dog that people have given up on and if you show them they are wanted and loved they will show the same in return. And there is no better reward than watching a dog that was unwanted or even abused settle in and feel safe. That is a feeling I cannot describe. But I’m ready for the next pup that will need me…and that I will need in return.