I'm 4-ish years old and I get to eat pizza!

Last week we celebrated the second year anniversary of Ash joining our family, and our estimation of Ash's fourth birthday. To celebrate his special day, we threw a "pizza party" for him and invited David's sister to join us. We made homemade pizzas for ourselves and two small homemade pizzas with bacon and sausage toppings for Ash and Pepper. We cut the pizzas up small and put them on a plate for each of them. Ash was a little apprehensive about this new food and delivery system but before long he realized it was a delicious treat and happily ate it right up. He spent the rest of the night curled up next to us on the couch while we watched a movie, and we made sure to give him some extra attention. Pepper spent the rest of the night trying to acquire more pizza :)

Sausage pizza for the dogs

 Ash checking out his dinner

 Looking back on things, it is sometimes hard to remember how far Ash has come in the last two years. I still remember Ash standing on his hind legs with his front paws on the window sill, watching as his foster parents drove away. He then nervously explored the unfamiliar house and started to decide whether or not he could trust David and I. For the first week or so, putting the leash on Ash was a chore because he was scared whenever we approached him. The futon became his "safe zone" and we were able to use that as a space to gain his trust - petting him, giving him treats, putting the leash on him, etc. Over time Ash learned and became willing to play with toys, to play with us, to enjoy walks, to chase balls, to swim, to cuddle, and to meet new people and dogs. Some of these daily tasks came easily to him, others did not. We are so proud of Ash's progress and couldn't be happier to have him as part of our family. He is a joy to wake up to in the morning and the way he bats at toys, balls, treats, and hands with his paws when he is excited always puts a smile on our faces.

For more pizza party fun, check out this video of Ash enjoying his birthday treat:

P.S. We have discovered that posting to our blog on Friday is difficult to do now that we are both working outside of the house. I think we will try to get back to the once a week blog posts, but will aim to post on Monday's instead!