In a sweet tale, a deaf dog rescued by a family found his perfect match: a boy who is also deaf.
Named Dave, the 6-year-old dog was surrendered by his former owner after he spent much of his days running at large and often coming in contact with porcupines.
He ended up at the Humane Society of Midland County and was an instant hit among the team.” At HSMC, Dave was an immediate staff favorite. He was gentle as can be and great with other dogs,” says Brittany Schlacter from the BISSELL Pet Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Empty the Shelter program, told Newsweek.
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And he caught the eye of a very special family, the Cousineaus. “Dave was adopted on the final day of Empty the Shelter when a family with a son who is deaf and has autism, saw Dave’s story and came to meet him. It was an instant connection,” says Schlacter.
The adjustment was pretty seamless; Dave walked into their house like he was always supposed to be there. Plus, because Dave already knew sign language, it took only a few days to for the family to be able to understand what he knew and how to communicate with him.
Related: Adopted Deaf Dog and Non-Verbal Boy Share Special Bond, Communicate Using Sign Language
But as the saying goes, a rescued dog actually rescued the person, and in this case Walker.
“Dave has been such a calming presence for Walker. Dave knows when Walker is getting upset and he just calms him down,” his mother Mindy says. “Walker is learning more signs for himself and also so he can ‘talk’ to Dave.”
He also helped Walker feel more comfortable about losing his hearing and wearing his hearing aids, his moms says. “It was like they had always been together.”
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