Surprise

        Nothing could be compared to the surprise and changes that Echo brought to my life. 

        I like biology and did quite amount of anatomy before going to college. Strangely, I could calmly handle live specimens in labs but was afraid of any animals in wild. A frog or a mouse crossing street would make me scream, a cat or a dog approaching me would make me jump. I hate to be licked -- my brother knew it well and used this as his weapon when he was little -- so owning a pet was absolutely not an option for me. 

        The rest of my family members all love dogs. Dog is part of my husband's American dream but he didn't push it because of my hesitance. My son is a natural dog lover, not only because he was born in a dog year, but also magically has had a special bonding to all kinds of dogs since he was a baby. My daughter was the one who kept on begging for a dog and actually did a great amount of research. Once a while she showed me some cute dog pictures, taught me some dog knowledge, and told me the traits of different breeds. She asked me what's my concern and promised that she would look for a dog breed that cover all of my concerns and meet our family's criteria -- middle-sized, active and healthy, capable to hike, low odor, does not shed, drool or bite too much... 

        Alivia is fond of all the dogs in our friends family, especially those who went out hiking with us, Alisha and Tobi. She had so much patience to take care of the dogs during the trip. She was excited whenever receiving dog pictures or videos from my brother, sister and other friends. From her eyes, I saw not only eagerness of companion, but tenderness and love grown in a young heart. Finally I compromised with only one condition -- don't let the dog get too close to me.  

       Based on her studies, Alivia decided to adopt a border collie, a cute looking, energetic and smart middle-sized dog. Border collie is not a very popular breed so it took several months to finally find one near us. The day to meet her was a big day. Without hesitating, we decided to bring her home as this adorable little one immediately melted our heart. Ironically that day was my birthday. Giving a dog to a person who rejects dogs as her birthday gift, what a surprise! We decided to call her Echo. The name was from a website that suggests dog names, but my daughter said, "maybe this is a sign, maybe this is a start full of hope, maybe this is a secret echo coming from bottom of your heart, eventually maybe you would be the person who loves Echo the most." 

       Echo didn't make Alivia disappointed. A month later, Echo became the only animal ever licked my hands; two months later, I could let her sit on my lap and hug her; three months later we could take a walk together -- yes, only two of us... Pet her, feed her, shower her, comb her, train her, hug her, kiss her, even talk to her... In return, she follows me, listens to me, trusts me, and comforts me. I could almost say I turned to be her favorite person! Her watery and innocent big eyes, her half floppy half erected ears, her lithe and agile movement, her head tilting, tail wagging, belly-up pleasing, her simple but genuine love totally wins my heart. 

        For my whole life, I never thought about owning a dog, not talking about being transformed by a dog. While this surprisingly happened. This little playful spirit opens a different world to me, and gave me a special feeling of joy. She can easily dissolve my frown, lift the corner of my mouth, and ease my mind. She injects joys and vitality in our daily life, she adds so much fun in our outdoor trips, she stirs my parental instinct again and made me completely accept her. For so many time when I look at her, I cannot believe the magic changes she has brought to me and feel so lucky to have her. Pandemic is a human tragedy, which isolated people and may permanently change the world. My world has been changed too, by this surprising and special gift. 

        "To love gives life purpose; to be loved gives life meaning". Now I have one more family member to love and to be loved! Echo is truly an echo from bottom of my heart.