There’s a four-legged celebrity in our midst, and he’s known as Asher the Italian Greyhound.
Whether he resembles more of a dog/Sid the sloth from Ice Age hybrid or is a distant descendant of Dobby remains up for debate, but nonetheless he’s loved by fans around the world.
Annie Williams of Tacoma calls Asher her very own. They met in October of 2011 when Asher was all of 9 weeks old and weighed in at a romping, stomping four pounds. Life was pretty quiet for the pair up until May 2017, when he went viral.
“He has videos I have made of him doing stuff and I always think they are awesome,” Annie explained to Grit City Magazine. “He is just a cool little dude. I shared two videos of Asher floating in the pool in his shark floatie to a couple of diffent Italian Greyhound pages on Facebook. People liked them and started to follow him.”
Within a week Asher had over 32,000 followers.
Annie’s “wee legend” also can lay claim to a video with over 11 million views. A single clip of him bobbing about in the pool with a hat on earned him web fame and a contract with a media company.
Thankfully, Asher hasn’t let the fame go to his head. Along with taking the same strolls around Tacoma’s scenic beaches he has for years, he’s an advocate for sharks — a passion Annie just so happens to share.
“I love sharks!” she told us. “I have been studying marine life and sharks in specific since I was about 4 years old. Over 100 million sharks are killed each year. If in any way Asher or I can help lessen that number in a way we are more than excited. We are a strong stance against shark fining and believe it should be banned. ‘No sharks, no oceans.'”
Annie reports they don’t currently get recognized out and about too often, but you’re mostly like to bump into them at the beach. “That is our happy spot.”
You’re welcome to connect with this local doggo via Facebook and Instagram.
Images shared with permission from Annie Williams
