Asher

A New Soul

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River

This is River. He is very new to the world. When this picture was taken he was just a couple of months old. Do you see the ball in his mouth? He learned to love the ball on his very first visit to Asherpark. River and I are gonna be good pals.

River ran and played for hours at our dog party. Us older barkers wanted to take a break, but he just kept going. His manners are very nice. He played with us when we let him, but he knew when to leave us alone. Even when he got closed out of the house, he waited at the door without scratching or jumping.

At the Door

River has a brave heart and will have the gift of courage throughout his life. He will bring his person great joy. River will live in the mountains and learn the smells of the wild. He will hike with his person and grow strong.

River has the neatest dad a dog could have. And my mom is River’s god mom. How good does it get?

See ya.

Tess

My First Bark

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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.

Asher

Life Is Good

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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!