Asher

Toots

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Ash

If you’ve been watching the news, you know we had some snow and ice where we live. It was the first snow of the season, not particularly impressive but still snow.

Us dogs always get a little goofy around the first snow. It’s like we forgot that we played in it last winter and it’s new all over again.

You can see my reaction to the snow in the picture. You have to taste it and lie in it and feel it on your belly. After a while the snow gets yellow in places and kinda yucky. I don’t mind it but mom doesn’t like us tracking the mess into the house.

The first day it snowed we drove down our hill to get some stuff. All us dogs got to go. It was fun sliding down and then racing back up so we wouldn’t get stuck.

The next two days we stayed home because the ice got really slippery. That’s when things started to go wrong. Me and Jack like to go for a ride once a day. Jack did his best to bark mom into it. He’d rub against her knee then run to the garage. She wasn’t buying it.

I was okay as long as mom played ball with me, but after losing the ball in the snow a few times it wouldn’t fly anymore. Mom played indoor games with us and tried to keep us busy, but it didn’t work. Yesterday afternoon I’d had enough. While she was sitting on the bench tying her boots, I started barking in her face. Bark, bark, bark as loud as I could.

Mom laughed at the dog spit and kept telling me NO BALL, no ride, no, no, no. Jack didn’t like “NO” even though he couldn’t hear the word. Pretty soon he was barking at mom. She was laughing and holding her ears and saying she couldn’t hear us cause we were barking so loud. Jack figured he’d better quit barking. Just then I took a deep breath for my next round of barking. That set the stage for my solo performance.

When an enormous toot came out my back end mom almost fell off the bench laughing. Jack stuck his nose under my tail and I looked back there too. It had never occurred to me that I could bark out of both ends at the same time. Mom said the back end gives more of a toot than a bark, but either way I’m making music.

Tess ran in to see what the fuss was about. She wanted me to do it again just for her, but I couldn’t get the back end to sound off. Guess I’ll have to work on that. Meanwhile I’m trying to think of a fun word to name my butt toots. Let me know if you have any suggestions. See ya! 

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Thankful

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Jack

Any one of us house dogs could have handled today’s bark, but since I’ve got the most to be thankful for we decided I should do it.

If you’ve been reading our barks, you know I was taken from my owner after somebody complained me, my pal Butch, and a bunch of little dogs were being neglected.

I had no idea what it meant to be neglected. I’d always lived that way. Oh I knew I had fleas, my eyes were gooey and I was pretty skinny, but at least I had a place to live. I’d say I was ignored more than neglected.

Then one day the animal control officer came and arrested me and Butch. We were put into a dog cage. Nobody read us our rights.

I don’t know what hapened to the little yappers in the house. Butch and me were put in jail. First we were together in the same cell, then one day Butch disappeared.

I spent five long months in the joint. I didn’t have an attorney or anybody to speak for me. I never got a chance to tell my story. Nobody asked me what I wanted. The jailers were really nice to me. I guess they decided I was a pretty good mutt because one day without any explanation I got sprung. Old Dog Haven volunteers drove me way far north to where I met my new pack.

Sorry for all the details about my past life, but if you don’t know my history you won’t understand what Thanksgiving means to me. This is my first Thanksgiving at Asherpark. My fleas are gone, I’ve gained some weight, my fur is thick and shiny, and my eyes are bright.

I can see because Old Dog Haven pays for my eye drops. Every day I get a drop in each eye. Otherwise I will go blind. I don’t like the drops but I sit real still. I do admit I clench my eyes tight shut, but my people know just how to spread my eyelids enough to get the drop inside. Then they kiss me and make over me and tell me how wonderful I am. Sometimes when I’m still blinking they’ll slip a treat in my mouth.

Last night it was plenty cold. I took my nightly walk down the driveway. I could hear outside dogs barking. I could smell the coyotes. I looked back at my home. The lights were on and it was warm inside. Tess ran by and bumped me. That’s the signal to head back to the house. We always get a treat before bedtime and Tess likes us to hurry back so she doesn’t have to wait for hers.

When we were all in, Mom turned out the lights. I followed her to the bedroom and curled up in a ball in my favorite bed. She kissed my crooked old snout and told me she loved me. Dad told me how special I am, that I’m a permanent member of the pack and I will always have a home.

That’s the beauty of it. I have a forever home at Asherpark with Ash and Tess. My people love me and take care of me. Generous donors sponsor me through Old Dog Haven. I even have a secret admirer who writes me notes and sends me treats. My heart is bursting with joy and gratitude. I am so very very thankful.

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The Chiropractor

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Asher

When mom said I was going to see the chiropractor I had no idea what she was talking about. I asked Tess and she didn’t have a clue. So I looked it up in the dictionary.

It says chiropractors figure out mechanical problems with your spine and fix you up by moving your bones around. Dad says that sounds like getting an alignment on the car. Anyway, I really didn’t know what I was in for.

We got to the vet around noon. Dr. Hannah is married to our everyday vet Dr. Brad. She’s the vet for horses and does chiropractic and acupuncture too. Mom forgot to tell me how really nice Dr. Hannah is. I liked her right away even though I knew she was gonna do some funny stuff with me.

Mom told Dr. Hannah that I twitch my head up and down when I’m nervous or out of breath. Mom’s worried that I have a kink in my neck because of all my acrobatics. I can do a mean flying dog imitation if I do say so myself.

I was embarrassed and wouldn’t do my twitch stuff at first while Dr. Hannah was watching. So she started feeling around my neck and said my head was rotated crooked on my spine. She gently pushed and pulled, twisting my head from side to side. I heard a couple of things go pop.

Mom said my blue eyes got real big and I looked scared. Next thing Dr. Hannah pushed a rib back in place. Oh that felt good. She went over my whole body, feeling for spots where things were crooked. She even worked on my toes. I was just getting into this whole chiropractor thing when it was over.

Dr. Hannah said I was real good, but she forgot to give me a treat. Then she told mom I had to be quiet the rest of the weekend. Mom asked her if that meant no ball. When I heard “no ball” my ears perked up, my eyes got big and I twisted my head to the side. It was pretty clear I didn’t like what I had just heard.

Dr. Hannah looked right at me and said, “No ball for two days, Asher.” Nuts. That was gonna make for a lost weekend. But I liked Dr. Hannah anyway and I didn’t mind when she told mom I should come back for another treatment in a few weeks. Maybe next time she’ll remember to give me my treat. Thanks Dr. Hannah.