Ash, now named Asher, was one of 43 German shepherds rescued from an irresponsible breeder in August of last year. After a tough start to life, Asher spent his first holidays surrounded by his new family.
“Asher is our family’s fourth German shepherd rescue,” says Maria, “but our first puppy. It’s been so interesting working on his socialization and learning what he might be fearful of and need more exposure to.”
She says they go for a run every morning and one day Asher saw a plastic bag flying in the wind – “he didn’t love that,” she says. “But when he saw a helicopter flying overhead, he just stared at it in awe.”
The whole family has embraced taking care of the puppy. “He has had the most positive affect on us,” says Maria. “We talk more, and we definitely laugh more since he has come into our lives, especially when Asher gets so committed to grooming himself, he rolls right off the couch.”
He might be a bit clumsy when it comes to grooming, but he is super coordinated when it comes to reenacting viral TikTok trends. “I think everyone has seen it on social media, the trend where one person puts out their hand and the other person puts theirs on top of it and then you wait to see what the dog does. My brother wanted to see what Asher would do and, without skipping a beat, he put his hand on mine and my brother’s. He knew exactly what he was supposed to do.”
Asher has certainly made a big difference in his grandpa’s life. “My dad is in long term care right now,” says Maria. “He adores German shepherds, and he is the reason I love them so much too. Asher visits him at the home. He is so gentle with my dad and all the patients there. He gets a lot of love and attention, and he brings so much joy to everyone he meets.”
In terms of his favourite toy, Maria says that what started out as a joke has now become a bit of an issue. “We got him a squeaky chicken toy as a joke, but he ended up loving that toy the most. He wakes the whole family up with it every morning. So, the joke’s on us.”
The whole family has nothing but love for Asher, and his squeaky toy. “I am so happy he picked me,” says Maria. “I remember when I came up to the kennel and he looked at me from the back. I just knew he had this beautiful calm energy that would match our family perfectly. We are so lucky he is in our lives, and we couldn’t be happier that we can give him a home and the best life possible. He deserves it.”
