The Man Behind The Asher House Dog Sanctuary: Lee Asher’s Story, Told in Full

With Lee Asher back in the news following the recent attention surrounding Velveteen, I wanted to bring back one of my favorite interviews. For those who aren’t familiar with him, Lee is the founder of The Asher House and one of the most influential voices in animal rescue today. Nearly 3 million people follow his work across Instagram and YouTube as he documents the realities of rescuing animals and running a sanctuary. Years ago, I interviewed Lee for Miss Understood. At the time, we released the conversation in two separate episodes. We’ve never published it as one complete interview—until now. The interview was recorded well before the recent Velveteen story, so it isn’t about the current headlines. This is a candid conversation about Lee’s childhood, how he built The Asher House, why he devoted his life to rescue, and what it’s really like caring for so many animals every day. One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation is Lee’s honest perspective on running an animal sanctuary. The biggest challenge often isn’t the animals—it’s the people. We talk about the emotional toll, public expectations, criticism, and the realities of rescue work that most people never see. Whether you’ve followed Lee for years or you’ve only recently discovered him because of the Velveteen story, this is the full interview you’ve never heard in one place.