I can’t believe Adolescent Asa will be turning two years old this Friday!  Time for another performance review!  I’ll be asking my little brother the same questions as I did for his One Year Performance Review.  And as always, please remember the opinions expressed by Asa do not necessarily reflect those of Living with a Golden.

How do you see your role in this family?

I’m happy to report that my role in the family has definitely evolved these past two years.  Initially I viewed myself as your Entertainment Director, making sure that everyone played more and slept less.  But now I realize I’m much more than that.  I’m our family’s Personal Trainer!  Take you for example, I couldn’t help but notice big brother that you wasted a good 8 or more hours sleeping every night.  Well thanks to my ability to be well rested with just a quick nap, I’m awake at all hours to rouse you to wrestle with me!  You have to admit that there’s nothing like a quick cardio workout at 2:00 AM playing with me to keep your heart healthy and strong!  Then there’s Dad who also wasn’t making the most of his day.  However due to my patience and insistence, I’ve now trained him to take us for a walk during his lunch breaks.  That brings it up to three walks a day for us, and Dad has admitted he’s lost those extra pounds he gained since working from home!  Also I turned Mom into our very own Fitbit!  Every week she records the new and exciting places we visit, keeping track of all the miles we’ve covered and rocks we’ve climbed.  When not doing that, I’ve also improved her throwing arm with our countless games of fetch, and have even taught her to throw left handed when she whines that she is getting bored but the game must go on!  In summary, thanks to my role as Personal Trainer, everyone in our family is active at all hours of the day and night!

Well that’s one way to look at it I guess.  What are your greatest accomplishments so far?

In past interviews I’ve considered learning to follow Mom and Dad’s silly rules and training Mom to be my personal treat dispenser as my greatest accomplishments.  However now that I am older and wiser I realize I’ve achieved much more than that in my two short years.  I’ve totally changed all of your lives!  It was only a few months after my arrival that Dad announced he was changing careers and would be working from home, in order to spend more time together as a pack!  No more long hours keeping him away from us.  Instead he spends long hours working here with us by his side helping and occasionally voicing our own opinions during conference calls.  I’ve also changed Mom’s outlook on life.  Let’s just say she was a creature of habit, always taking Chuck Billy to the same old places.  However thanks to my lust for adventure, now she is excited about exploring this great big world we live in, and spends her time researching new and exciting places to take us.  No wonder Dad calls me the “Harbinger of Change!”

Then there’s you, Chuck Billy, whether you want to admit it or not, I’ve had the biggest influence on you!  Thanks to me you created Living with a Golden to write about how wonderful it is living with me!  Each week you share with the world our adventures and all the life lessons I’ve taught you.  If it wasn’t for me, this blog wouldn’t exist!  No need to thank me, it was my pleasure shaping you into the insightful dog that you are today, and teaching you everything you know!

I’m just going to ignore that last part and move on with our interview.  What are your goals for this year?

I’m going to molt my fur to grow into a Dire Wolf!  As I recently learned from lobsters, animals grow big by shedding their outer shell.  So with each piece of fur I shed I’m slowly but surely growing into a Dire Wolf!  But that may take longer than a year to achieve.  So in the meantime, my goal for the coming year is to continue being the face of Living with a Golden.  Oh sure the blog is all yours, due to your insistence on not letting me have my own column.  But what you may not have noticed is that photos of me are being used more often than not.  Let’s face it, I’m very photogenic and know just when to strike a pose.  Perhaps we can readdress me having my own column too?

I’m reluctant to ask, but is there anything that we can do better?

Give the world what they want – my own column!  Seriously, I’ve got a lot to say about living with you.  This whole Living with a Golden theme works both ways you know!  Other than that, I’d like it if you would stop referring to me as a “silly puppy.”  Yes, I provide comic relief, but it is done with the comedic timing of a mature dog and are not the random antics of a puppy!  As for Mom and Dad, more play, less work, and definitely more treats would be appreciated.  Other than that, you are all doing a great job!

Thanks, I guess.  Thus concludes our interview.  Happy Birthday Asa!  And good luck Mom and Dad dealing with his terrible twos!