It finally all makes sense! Mom thought she named Asa after her ancestor, who was a fisherman with a dry wit. Whereas Asa misunderstood and assumed Mom named him after the Japanese word asa which translates to “morning!” No wonder Asa lives by the motto of rise and shine, and insists that we all wake up early to watch the sunrise. This also explains why Asa greets each day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to seize the day. By naming him Asa, Mom made him a morning dog!

Thank you to the Today Show! Your lesson in Japanese solved this misunderstanding between Mom and Asa. And thank you Asa for making every morning a good morning, even if you do wake us up most days before 5 AM, including on the weekends. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I’m going back to bed.