Asher joined our family on my son's birthday in June 2018.  I was looking for a great pup to be his first dog when, out of the blue,  a friend shared a post about him on Facebook.  Asher had been living at the 5 A's no-kill shelter (https://www.fiveas.org/)  for 10 years, and he really needed a furever home.  I was a little hesitant at first, because on their website, they had suggested a home without children.  So I went to see him by myself, and fell in love with his goofy little face.  I asked my son if he wanted to meet Asher, and he instantly agreed.  He even earned all the money for Asher's adoption fee by mowing grass for his grandpa! After spending time with him at the shelter on several occasions to make sure he was the right dog for us, we brought him home and the fun began! I was so excited for my son to have a new best buddy and had all kinds of fun firsts in mind, like a first bath, first snowfall, and a first picture with Santa!  Unfortunately, with older dogs come unexpected health concerns.  On November 15, Asher began having trouble going up the stairs without crying in pain.  Later that evening, we took him to the emergency vet.  After assessing his condition, the vet gave us doggy ibuprofen and told us to monitor him for a few days.  We were hoping that it was just a minor injury that would heal up on its own. But, by Saturday, his pain was intense, and he could barely walk.  We took him in to the vet and he was X-rayed, but nothing really showed up as the cause of his pain.  So we ended up taking him to a veterinary specialist clinic, where he underwent an MRI to check for issues with his spinal cord.  Turns out he had a herniated disc and would need back surgery as soon as possible to prevent further damage.  Although it was expensive, I knew it was the only way for Asher to be pain-free and have a chance to walk again.  So I gave the OK for surgery to proceed.  According to the doctor, the procedure went well, but only time- and lots of additional therapy- will tell how well Asher will be able to regain full use of his legs.  He will be at the hospital for about a week so they can get him on the road to recovery, but that won't be the end of the road for him.  He will need lots of physical therapy in the future to help him regain as much function in his legs as possible.  If you could help us make this happen for Asher, we would be furever grateful!