Asa amongst the staff.
Earlier this month, Asa the dog and mascot of my primary care giver passed away peacefully. He managed to live over 15 years which I imagine is good for a pure-breed dog (allegedly pure-breeds have shorter lifespans than “mutts.”).
Asa was pretty cool. He was always in a good mood to see you despite his tail being removed (the only indicator I know of when a dog is happy or excited), a common practice with dogs who are involved in herding other animals. Whenever I was around to see those I needed in repairing my well-being, I found him to be a great comfort because 99% of all dogs don’t really care about your troubles, they like you just the way you are and often just see the good inside us people as we pet them, praise them and simply be around.
He will continue to live on as a mascot which I have on a T-Shirt to remind me how far I have come.