Deaf rescue puppy finds forever home with deaf man who teaches him sign language
Then 31-year-old Maine native Nick Abbott adopted a black lab mix named Emerson from the foster-based rescue NFR Maine. What makes this relationship extra special is that they are both deaf.
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This pup didn’t have it easy growing up. 6-week-old Emerson was found in the streets with his siblings. He was hospitalized for seizures then contracted parvovirus.
It’s a contagious infection that can be fatal if untreated.
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Emerson did survive and made a full recovery. But the rescue group was concerned that no one would want the dog when he was put up for adoption at 12 weeks old.
Emerson wasn’t just deaf. He was also visually impaired.
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“Once we got him home from the vet’s office from Florida, we realized he had hearing difficulties,” Lindsay Powers of NFR Maine told Good Morning America. “He doesn’t let it bother him at all, though he’s a typical puppy.”
It was Nick who responded to NFR Maine’s Facebook post about Emerson.
“Right off the bat he said, ‘I’m deaf also and I feel like we’d have a good connection,’” Powers says of the moment.
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Nick’s application was processed within a day. He was drawn to Emerson immediately because of their similarities.
“I felt I could understand him,” Nick told CBS News.
And he was right. These two were made for each other!
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“He came straight to me at the door and sat right away at my feet and stayed there. So you can tell he kind of picked me. And I knew right then and there that we would get along and understand each other pretty good,” Nick said.
When the two first arrived home together, Nick quickly went to teaching Emerson how to communicate.
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Both man and dog can’t hear, so Nick began using sign language to teach Emerson commands. Typical commands such as “sit,” “lay down,” and “come”.
Nick’s mom, Richelle, told GMA: “If Nick reaches up and shakes his ear lobe, Emerson will bark — it’s so cute. It’s amazing. Whenever they’re together, Emerson is always finding a way to lean on Nick.”
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It’s such a precious relationship that Nick created a joint Instagram account so many others can follow his and Emerson’s adventures together.
“Please follow Emmy and I on our journey though life together. We will share updates, new tricks learned, and our adventures!” he wrote in a recent post.
NFR Maine even went so far to say that this adorable story of these two special individuals just has to be one of their all-time favorite adoption stories.
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Nick and Emerson found each other. Almost like it was fate that had them cross each other’s paths. They needed each other, and the world needed this heartwarming story.
There is nothing like the friendship of someone who totally understands you. Nick and Emerson share the same conditions and that’s why they get each other.
It’s a bond only they will understand.
Meet Nick and Emerson in the video below!
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Source: My Positive Outlooks, Good Morning America