Meet Aya

Aya is a Boston Terrier who punches well above her weight. She’s athletic, funny and full of life, and she makes complete strangers laugh without trying. She never complains, unless it’s about her toys, and she’s usually right.

Her name is short for Ayahuasca. In the traditions that work with the plant, ayahuasca is often spoken of as a feminine presence, a teacher people call “Madre” or “Mother Ayahuasca”. I’m not claiming a dog is a vine, but the name fit from the first time I saw her. Like the medicine, Aya is gentle and fierce at once: she comforts without fuss, shows up when it counts, and teaches without ever explaining herself.

She’s protective, well-behaved, and selective about who gets her love, which makes it count. She has boundaries and she holds them, which is a skill I’m still learning from her. She reads a room before anyone speaks and reflects my energy back more honestly than I’d like. In many ways, she’s a mirror.

She’s at her best on a beach or in a forest, and she travels better than most people I know. She’s an entertainer, with a trick for every audience.