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Ashley was our first foster dog, technically before we became Save A Dog.,
She was the queen alpha of the household, a beautiful golden/husky mix. She was
instrumental in leading many packs of puppies outside through our dog door
to show them what to do. She housebroke them and she kept them all in line. She would break up fights by holding the perpetrator by the shoulder -- she would chase anyone who she felt was running too fast. She was a real den mother and made fostering litters of puppies a cake walk. She was a wonderful Save A Dog volunteer.
She was faithful and loyal and everything one could imagine a dog could be.
She was also the most "under-foot" dog we've ever had, but it was because
she wanted to be with us every minute. She was a high-shedder and twice her
fur clogged up our furnace. She was worth it. We took her in when she was
nine years old after she'd lost both her elderly owners in a short span of
time and we were told she was just too nice of a dog to live out her days in a dog pound. She was a lady through and through, and like many dogs, deserved to be in a home, not in a kennel. She started out as a foster dog and as time wore on
we were less and less eager about placing her as she fit in so well with
the rest of the household. She faithfully waited at our big floor-level
window every night to greet us when we got home. If she saw us taking out a
leash, she would plow through all the other dogs to be first in line for a
walk. She loved off-leash parks and could play and swim with the best of
them. She always seem to know if I was upset and would come over and put
her head on my lap. Recently, as I was agonizing over the thought of
putting a sick puppy to sleep, she came over and nudged me. I looked up and
her face was about an inch from mine and she looked at me with these huge
liquidy brown eyes, as if she were crying right along with me. I'll never
forget that. It never occured to me that I would lose her first.
Our beloved Ashley passed away in the early morning hours of May 20, 2000. The autopsy report revealed that she was full of cancer, hemangiocarcoma. She never let on, never complained a bit. She enjoyed a wonderfully, happy last few years with us and played until the day she died. Just the day before she was chasing little Freddy, the chinese crested, around the living room after he stole her bone. She showed no signs of illness until she collapsed that night and breathed her last
breath. I guess that's the best way to go, but it's hard on her family.
We'll all miss her tremendously and her legend will live on for a long time, hopefully
inspiring us not to pass older dogs by. We gave her a chance and she gave
so much more back.
Ashley's second Mom,
Shirley
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Ashley, enjoying her favorite pastime.
