Meet Asha – The Heart Behind the Hope

When we were asked by the shelter to help Asha, we couldn't say no. She wasn't

a German Shepherd, but we could tell she was special. We would later learn just

how special.

When Asha was turned into the shelter by a person who said they found her, she

was terrified. She weighed 40 pounds, so underweight. She was lost, so lost that

she wouldn't even eat, no matter how much food they gave her. She was dying in

the shelter even before her death date was to arrive. We have helped huskies

before, and when we were asked to help her, we had to save her.

When Asha came to us, she weighed a mere 33 pounds. One could carry her with

one arm. She was still frightened but she had come to us with her new friend

Kobie. The two had met on the freedom ride from the shelter. That drive had

given them enough time to bond. They drew their strength from each other that

first day. As days went on, though, Asha became more comfortable in her

surroundings and began attaching to her new human friends.  She began playing

with her new dog friends.

It was only a few days later, though, that we noticed Asha didn't have the energy

that a dog her age should have had. She still didn't want to eat. We rushed her to

the emergency vet and it was there that we found out why Asha had been even more afraid in the shelter than any other dog. Asha was pregnant. Asha had no idea why she had been abandoned by her family, why she was in the scary shelter, but she knew what no one else knew. She wasn't fighting for just her own

life. She was fighting for six unborn puppies, and she had no idea how to do that,

so she had shut down in the shelter.

It was nothing short of a miracle that we had received the call to help this little

girl when we did. Asha spent two days in the hospital, getting IV fluids,

medications, and supplements, making sure she would eat, and making sure her

puppies were okay. While she was getting the medical care she needed, though,

it was yet another scary place, and she would only eat a small amount. 

After two days in the hospital, Asha came back to the Ranch. In that moment, we

promised Asha that she was not fighting for her babies alone anymore.  In the

shelter for over a month, she had tried fighting as much as she knew how, until

she could no longer do it.  No, Asha was no longer alone. Asha showed her

gratitude through her soft, beautiful brown eyes and the kisses that she would

give.  She showed her gratitude just lying in our laps, watching the day pass

by, feeling the breeze that she had come so close to never feeling again. And

best of all, Asha began to eat.  We found exactly what she liked and made sure

she had plenty of it. We had been told in the hospital that Asha's pups were just

fine. We made it our goal to make sure she was, too.  The days passed, and Asha

gained almost 20 pounds. She actually had muscle where only skin and bones

had been. Of course, she had her little baby bump too.  

Asha quickly became a favorite of everyone who met her, and anyone who has

the pleasure of meeting her in the future will understand exactly why. No one could

pass Asha's kennel without stopping by to say hi or to sit for a while.  When her

special friends stopped by, Asha spoke to them in a way that only Asha can

do. Asha's speeches were special.  She knew exactly what to say to make her

friends feel as special as they made her feel.

It was only a few weeks later when Asha began letting us know that it was time

for her little ones to make their entrance into the world.  That entrance began on

April 7th. Asha's delivery wasn't easy, but she was a champ. She needed a little

help along the way, but she graciously accepted any help her puppies

needed. When two of her puppies needed help breathing, Asha watched as they

were given tiny breaths before that first cry, and then quickly let us know that our

job was done and she could handle the rest. She gently washed each of their

faces and snuggled between deliveries.

At 12:30a.m., April 8th, Asha's sixth and last puppy was born.  Asha now had

a Chance. She had an Honor. She had a Whisper. She had a Dreamer. She

had Hope, and she had a Watcher, all puppies named for something Asha had

come so close to losing, just barely a month before, puppies who would have had

no chance Asha had not fought so hard for them, even when she didn't know

How, puppies who wouldn't have had a chance if we weren't able to do what we

do.

Asha still watches over her puppies, who are now 8 weeks old. In their foster,

Asha has traded some of her mom duties for play duties. After all, someone has

to teach the babies how to play, and she does it so well. 

Asha is once again becoming the puppy that she herself truly is.  She has not

forgotten, though, that it is still her job to keep them safe. She knows she has six

puppies, and she knows how to count, something she does a lot. They all seem

to want to go in different directions, and they are fast.

HOPE

Today, we are fighting a different battle. Asha's babies need forever homes of

their own, and in a German Shepherd world, it can be harder to get mixed puppies

adopted. When they are mixed with certain breeds, sometimes it can seem

impossible.  According to their DNA, Asha's pups have a pittie mix dad, and so

far, Asha's pups have had no one even ask to meet them.  

Asha fought so hard to keep these little guys and gals safe. She has spent the

last two months nourishing them and teaching them. Now it is our turn to find

them a home. We are sending out her story out hoping that it will reach someone

who has a place in their home for a puppy who just needs a chance needs a

chance? Maybe you know someone?  These puppies were born into a world

where their mix is often misunderstood and not always welcomed. We want

Asha's pups to live in a world where they are not turned away because of their

DNA but welcomed because of their personalities.  

Asha's pups got her wonderful blue eyes, but they didn't get her husky colors or

looks. We like to think that it is because everything on the inside, their

personalities, comes from Asha. They have Asha's sweet temperament. 

Chance loves to curl up in your lap. Watcher sits quietly watching you as

everyone else vies for attention, and when you pick him up, he lays his head on

your shoulder. They have Asha's love for life. Whisper, the little sprite of a puppy,

blows through like the whisper of a gentle breeze, stopping to get kisses as she

runs to play with her siblings. Dreamer must be dreaming of how life will be. She

is always running around finding new ways to play, creating her own games. They

have Asha's zest for life. Hope embodies everything that is hope, and Honor has

the spirit of her mom. She loves everyone, and even when it was hard for us to

tell them apart in the moment, we always knew the first one to greet us was

Honor. 

Watcher

Asha's puppies are as sweet as any you will ever find. They love to play with

their foster siblings, especially their Uncle Cosmos, the senior Golden Retriever

who lets them climb all over him and gladly shares his toys with them. 

With a loving family, with guidance and training, much like the German Shepherd

puppies we rescue, we know Asha's puppies will grow up to be the best dogs.

just like their mom. 

Six homes don't seem like a lot, but in today's world, for Asha's pups, it is an

uphill climb finding those homes. Since posting them for adoption, we have had

no applications. Can you help?  

Please watch Asha's Family slide show to see just who Asha and all of Coastal

have been fighting for.