The happy news from the past few days is that Ash has transitioned into a new place. No longer confined inside a small camper or on a leash in the trailer court, Ash is now in the country awaiting his new home (applications available upon request). In the meantime, he is lucky to have an incredible foster mom: yet another amazing friend who shows that ARC Rising is a community of care. We have no doubt Ash's foster mom has a heart of gold, because he gave her his stamp of approval. Within a couple of hours of arrival, Ash proved he is fully capable of breaking a collar to escape a secure tie out, but instead of running off (which he could have easily done), he immediately beelined for the door and begged to come in. Of course, it doesn't hurt that his foster mom has two amazing dogs, one of them a special rescue from Arlee. Ash's journey is only beginning. We need to arrange a vet visit for him to make sure his emaciation is not the result of some underlying medical issue. He's only two years old, so we are hopeful that the problem lies in stress, poverty and genetics. He certainly doesn't lack appetite. For now, he will feel safe, and we hope someone is smitten with him before long so he can be adopted. Ash's extremely exceptionally gentle and harmless nature will endear him to everyone. Ash's own story, which shows he still carries the marks of pain once lived: "Whoever may end up taking my Ashy Boy, please let them know he went through a lot of abuse in the household I saved him from. They beat on him a lot and his ears are very sensitive due to whatever other crap they were doing to him and the rest of his litter. He’s very scared of loud noises, anything similar to gun fire, I assume because the *** who had him as a pup was well known for shooting dogs as a “way to put them down” and his mom along with some of his siblings were basically shot right in front of him and the few surviving puppies. When I say he’s timid, I mean he’s absolutely petrified of everything so you cannot lift your hands too fast around him or take him around shooting because he will panic. . . . He has to be leashed otherwise he tries to book it, and he is fast so it’s hard to catch up to him once he runs. He loves kids to death, he adores kitties as well, and so long as they show no aggression towards him first, he absolutely loves other dogs as well. There’s not an ounce of aggression in his body. He’s an absolute lover boy. And he deserves the best. I hate to let him go but the reality is that he deserves better than what he’s getting here." - Ash's former mom