My First Bark

Tess

You may have noticed that I have not yet barked. Ash has barked about me and for me, but until now I lacked the confidence to bark for myself. Both Ash and Jack have encouraged me to find my voice. So here is my first bark.

My past is a mystery to me, a blur. I was picked up as a stray and held in a shelter. My shelter papers say I will kill cats. I’m not sure how they came to know that about me, but I fear it may be true. I do not like cats and nearly go insane when I see one.

Perhaps I could learn to accept cats, but since my family no longer has a cat, it is probably best that I not be tested. I feel sorry for Ash in this regard because he loves cats. He tells me of his beloved old cat friend Cornelius, who passed on last summer.

Cornelius had become so old and decrepit he could no longer clean himself. So Ash would use his big soft tongue to wash Cornelius several times a day. Once he licked Corny with such gusto the old cat fell over. Ash gave me this picture of Cornelius for my bark.

Cornelius

I realize that I suffer from obsessive tendencies. When I first saw the goats I nearly lost my mind. I ran and panted and frothed at the mouth barking like a fool. Ash enjoyed my craziness but it was unsettling to my new people.

Over time I have learned to control myself. I am allowed near the goats on a long lead. Ash says I have much better herding skills than he does but since I won’t come when called, I can’t be off leash around them.

I fear I have jumped from one subject to another in my first bark. Please excuse my lack of focus. This has been very difficult for me. I seem to require a lot of encouragement for fear that I have done something wrong.

I will bark more another time. For now I will conclude. Thank you for reading my bark. Respectfully, Tess.

Life Is Good

Asher

Remember when you were little and life was exciting? Everything was new and smelled so good. Waking up was fun. Breakfast couldn’t come soon enough. Who knew what the day would hold.

I’m four now but I still think life is lots of fun. Turns out my name means blessing or happiness. It comes from the Bible. I’m not religious but I do respect the beliefs of others.

I like the idea that many many years ago someone named Asher was promised a happy life. I don’t know if his life turned out that way or not. But maybe if we all lived our lives expecting good things, we could overlook some of the sorry stuff that happens.

My friend Tess didn’t always have it so good. She was a stray and spent time in the shelter. When she first came to Asherpark she ran around in circles. But after being with us for eight months, she’s changed her ways. Now she’s happy.

Tess and Asher

Tess and I are lucky to have each other. We play together a lot. Sometimes we just hang out and wait for the next chance to bark. She didn’t know how to play when I met her.  It’s been fun to watch her learn.

Tess and Ash

She’s gotten real good at tug, but she has to take a bigger bite if she wants to win. She says she doesn’t care who wins. She just wants to play. Maybe we should all be that way. See ya!

Happy Birthday Little Brother

Zag

It’s April First. My brother Zag was born on Fool’s Day. I think that’s why he’s such a silly little fellow. Here he is with his ball at the beach. He can’t really swim, but he sure can splash a lot.

Zag is a great guy. I’m glad he’s my brother. He has responsibilities. He takes care of his mom and little brother Rhett. Here’s a picture of Rhett. OMG it’s true. Rhett really is a Chihuahua.

Rhett

Zag and Rhett come to Asherpark whenever they can. We have to be careful not to step on Rhett. Mom started calling Rhett the “Little White Thing” and now we hardly remember his real name.

Zag is so weird. He’s terrified of laundry. He crawls into a corner and hides his eyes when laundry is folded. Me, I love laundry. In fact, I’m known as the laundry thief. One time our neighbor came over. Nobody was paying any attention to me, so I ran and grabbed my mom’s dirty underwear from the laundry basket. Oh boy! I got lots of attention when they saw what I had. HaHa!

Zag went to a horse show last week. He gets to stay in the trailer and go everywhere with his mom. He doesn’t bark at the horses. I can’t wait till he comes back to Asherpark so I can teach him some bad habits. Happy Birthday Zag! See ya.