Name/Age: Sasha - Approx. 6 y/o (probably turning 7-ish in January 2021)
Family Members: Just mom (Heather), but has an uncle (Phil) and grandparents (Marilyn and Anthony) who also love spoiling her.
How long has Sasha been in the family? Since September 11, 2014
Profession: Attorney/Compliance Officer
Location: Inman Park, Atlanta, GA
Nicknames: Sasha Bear, Meatball, Baby Girl, Sash Posh, Sashimi, Sashmo, Hippopotato, Low Rider, Wiggle Butt … I am sure there are others!
5 words/phrases that best describe Sasha?
Clever
Cuddly
Outgoing (has never met a stranger)
Playful
Sooo Stubborn
What makes Sasha unique? She really has sooo many! Sasha is extremely expressive. While she very rarely barks, she makes a lot of other sounds throughout the day, including letting out these perfectly timed long sighs when she feels like she is not getting enough attention. If you are petting her and stop too soon, she will paw at you to let you know to keep going. Sasha gives the best greetings when you get home; she does excited “spin jumps” up and down the hallway. It is impossible for me not to laugh when she gets a case of the pit bull zoomies. A Sasha smile will just melt your heart. However, you do not want to be on the receiving end of a “Sasha side eye” … if looks could kill! Hahaha. She is also a very active dreamer which scared the heck out of me the first time I heard it. Sasha is a little pittie with a BIG personality!
The look of love.
Rescue Story: I got Sasha when I lived in Chicago; her vet at the time guesstimated she was about nine months old. A police officer friend posted about her on Facebook; he was trying to find someone to foster her. Within minutes, I was on the way to go get her. After spending a couple of weeks with Sasha, it was clear that she needed to be a permanent part of my life … foster fail!!! She moved back to Georgia with me about five years ago and has been loving life down south ever since.
Onward to my forever home!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We love exploring Atlanta and checking out dog-friendly intown spots. Living right off the BeltLine means a lot of walks for us. Sometimes we walk to Piedmont Park and other days we head over to Oakland Cemetery. Sasha is a big fan of patios and can frequently be spotted outside along Highland Avenue. She is also a well-known regular at VinoTeca for wine tastings and loves going to Voga for doggie gelato.
We do like to get out of the city, either for a hike or to go swimming. Some of our favorite spots include Kennesaw Mountain, the Palisades section of the Chattahoochee River, and Sweetwater Creek State Park. She loves car rides and has gotten to travel with me a bit. In addition to Illinois and Georgia, she has been to Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and to the beach in Florida. I hope to add a lot more states to that list for her!
What is life like since you rescued Sasha? I like to stay busy, so my day-to-day life requires significantly more planning with her in it, but it is also a lot more fun too. I am definitely that person who is always asking if my dog can come places too. I recently started going back into an office which Sasha has let me know she is none too pleased about, but I have some awesome friends who have really helped me out with caring for her lately. I also get a lot less room on my bed with her in the picture … she is such a bed hog!
Since she has such a sweet disposition, I intend to get Sasha trained as a therapy dog. I started looking into it back in March of this year, but then COVID! Sasha also tried lure coursing and really seemed to enjoy that, so I hope to take her to do a lot more of that in 2021.
Social Media: Instagram: @sashabearintheatl
Photographers Note: I met up with Heather & Sasha at the Carter Center, which surprisingly was my first time to do a shoot there (definitely won’t be my last). Such a beautiful setting on a lovely fall day. Sweet little Sasha was very excited to be there and greeted me quickly before going on a full exploratory sniff mission. Boy do those leaves on the ground capture some good scents! After we were done with the shoot, Heather was telling me about how her family spoils her and her parents are all about their granddog. Listening to her reminded me so much of my own parents, who are also all about their granddogs. As we said goodbye, I watched this short little spark plug leap up into a Jeep with larger then average tires. I did not think she would make that jump, but she did and then sat in the back seat with a glance out to me, as if to say…didn’t Mom mention it, I’m a Jeep Girl! :)