Meet Echo, My Faithful Sidekick

This is my Blue Heeler, Echo. He is our rescue dog. The shelter found him wandering the streets of Las Vegas with raw paw pads. He became part of our family when he was just one year old. He is now nine years old, which is still young for a Blue Heeler.

Echo never leaves my side. My kids complain if I run upstairs to do something because Echo immediately leaves them to follow me, even when they are trying to cuddle him. I even put his bed in my office when I am working on my book. He can also be the reason I don't get much work done because, as you can see for yourself, he is irresistible.

I have found that having a dog is a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it. Whenever I would hit a mental block while trying to make something rhyme in my book, I would take a break and give Echo some attention. Animals have a calming effect on me. There is something about loving a creature that is so innocent that helps calm your nervous system.

People often assume I have a Golden Retriever because there is one in my book. Nope, nope! I love my Blue Heeler, but I understand why people love Goldens. They are sweet too. Sunny the Golden Retriever just fit perfectly with my storyline. I was looking for a positive feel to go along with my characters, Opta and Pessa Mistic.

Who knows? Maybe one day Echo will make an appearance in one of my books.

Echo has even found his way into some of my reels, which adds a fun element to them. I love all breeds of dogs, and I know every breed has its loyal followers. I wanted to connect with Golden Retriever owners while also honoring Blue Heeler lovers. The two breeds are very different.

Golden Retrievers are cuddly and can never get enough love. My Blue Heeler, on the other hand, will walk up to someone new, sniff them to decide if they are acceptable, and then walk away without even asking for a pet. Unless, of course, you possess some special quality that keeps his interest. Blue Heelers are some of the best judges of character. Goldens, meanwhile, seem to accept everyone and believe life is all about loving whoever they meet.

Lately, I have been around more Golden Retrievers, and Echo can always smell them on me. Without fail, he greets me at the door and immediately starts sniffing me. Then he walks over to his bed, lies down, and lets out a big huff. I always go over to reassure him that he is still my number one.

In my book, Pessa trusts Sunny. His presence helps her see that there are different ways to look at situations. Throughout the story, Sunny and Opta teach Pessa to focus on the positive side of things. Sometimes we learn best through gentle suggestions and examples.

As you know, every person is different. With my four children, the way I approached parenting changed all the time. As I learned how to be a better parent, I realized that we never stop learning and growing. Looking back, I can see that I was a different parent for each of my children.

My hope is that when my book reaches readers, it will help parents, grandparents, teachers, and others introduce two big words into children's vocabulary: optimism and pessimism. I hope those words stay at the front of children's minds, reminding them that they have a choice in how they react to situations and which perspective they choose.

And maybe, just maybe, a lovable Golden Retriever can help teach that lesson.