In June 2010, Snigdha Manickavel and her husband Bapoorau brought home a little black puppy from an animal shelter in South India. Mia had been brought in with her mother and three of her siblings, and was the only one of the pups to survive. The young couple who adopted her had no idea how deeply this bright-eyed newcomer would touch their hearts and transform their lives. In this short piece Snigdha opens a window onto their experience...which at its core is the experience of anyone who stumbles upon the gift of unconditional love.

Mia will not always come if you call her. She may or may not sit: it depends on her mood. She definitely won’t lie down on command and I can’t think of anything more ridiculous than asking her to get off while she is in the middle of one of her frequent frenzies of love, that consists of her jumping onto your lap and licking your face. She will finish when she is done.

What Mia will give you are things of beauty that you never knew how to ask for because you never knew they existed. Mia will follow you around like a member of an elite bodyguard squad. She won't leave you alone. She will sit by your feet and wait outside of doors for you. She will curl up in the corner and wait for you to finish wasting time on the internet. She will protect you from hoards of evil water delivery boys, if needed. She will sleep beside you even though you turn too much and hog all the covers.

She will look into your eyes with so much love and wonder that you feel unworthy and look away. She will be quiet when you are sad. She will dance when you are happy. She will be a friend and companion in a way that makes you understand the words in a new way. My friend, my companion. She will help you understand how a  heart fills with love and how it grows bigger and bigger. And how nothing in the world can contain it.