Ash did not get a new name when we adopted him. We kept it as is and he’s doing great. Since we got him in February 2020 and he was around four, we’ve unofficially made his middle name “Wednesday” and now celebrate his birthday on Ash Wednesday (his very own day). The joys of joining a Catholic Family! 🙂
He’s down to 78 pounds from a high of 90 so he’s trim and svelte. He healed up fairly quickly from his kennel cough, sores on his jowls and ear infections. His teeth are still pretty clean and he’s adapted great to new foods that he’s doing very well on. He’s a really happy and sweet boy, known around here as the cuddle bug. It took us many months to see his true personality, he has a lot of anxiety and was clingy and easily startled for many months. At this point we can truly say though still clingy and occasionally still startled, overall he’s a peppy and energetic guy, much more so than when he first came home. He’s learned to chew on bones and play with some simple puzzle toys which is big progress as he wouldn’t put anything in his mouth except food when he first came home, we think he’s never had a bone or toy before. He’s still very anxious when we leave him home, exacerbated by the pandemic where he’s had people around much more than normal for the better part of the last year. He HATES fireworks and thunder so he has to be sedated on 4th of July (still not his best day) and he does have accidents around the house still sometimes when left at home. We’re working on this but he hates being in a restricted area of the house and will bark and, like Houdini, find ways out of things.
He adores walks and car rides; we can barely get a leash on him he’s SO excited EVERY time. He rides in the back of the SUV, but if left for even a few minutes, he works his way around the dog gate in the back and finds his way to the front passenger seat and is happy as a clam up there. Thankfully he doesn’t do that when you are driving, though he puts his head forward and looks ready to tempt fate at any moment. We think his previous owner had a truck or jeep and rode around everywhere with Ash in the front seat, if we even walk by an open front door to any car, he lunges to jump right on in!
He and his brother, Sulley, never fight and have found a good balance. They are very different, Sulley loves toys and not cuddles and Ash is 100% the other way around, so they don’t fight over toys or attention. They both love food, walks, the park, rides and being played with and they do like to run around the yard with each every day. I’ve attached some photos of Ash as well as Ash and his Sulley, hope you enjoy! 
We’re so glad to have Ash as part of our family. Our adult kids love him too and he’s just so sweet, loving and loyal, there isn’t a person who can possibly be a stranger! He is VERY talented with using his paws and nose to get every bit of your attention and is strong and stubborn so training, though much improved, still has its challenges and he slips back to bad habits easily if you let him. All he wants is love and companionship, he’s obviously had some challenging and unsettling times in the past and we’re just glad he is in his forever home and can hopefully continue to relax and feel safe here for the rest of his days.
He even made the 2021 SHLR Calendar, he’s one of the small photos in January (in the snow, he LOVES to run and roll around in snow)! Thanks for getting him in the first year to be part of the bigger SHLR family!
There is the update from the Howell household! Thanks for pairing us up with Ash when he came into you last year, he’s such a character, he makes us laugh every day and you know with him, there is never a cuddle far away.