Walker Cousineau has high-functioning autism, and, although he is a kind-hearted, smiling boy, he has been teased at school, especially because he has hearing loss.
Walker used to hear pretty well until he was ten, when he got sick with influenza A. From then on, he started having hearing issues, which eventually led him to need a hearing aid.
“He has meltdowns sometimes, and he has been teased at school,” his mother, Mindy Cousineau shared with Upworthy.
But, a few months ago, a Facebook post marked the beginning of a journey that would soon change Walker’s social life for the better.
The 14-year-old saw a post shared by the Humane Society of Midland County about a deaf dog that was up for adoption.
The Humane Society even joked about it in the post, letting potential owners know that their snoring wouldn’t bother the 6-yer-old dog.
“Adopt for $25 / Puppy, 6 years, Neutered Male, Bully mix / Deaf. Outgoing, smart and lovely. Can meet other dogs,” the post read. “He’s a 9, but he can’t hear you snore at night,” they added.
The post made the Cousineaus consider adopting the deaf dog who the shelter had named “Puppy”, so they drove from Michigan all the way to the July 31 Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters adoption event in Midland.
When they got there, they asked to see the deaf dog who was up for adoption and, when the dog was brought to them, they all knew there was no going back. The dog just belonged with them.
“We asked to see the deaf dog they called Puppy, and as soon as they brought him out, we knew there was no going back,” Jim Cousineau, Walker’s father, explained.
It seems that Walker immediately felt a connection to the deaf dog, but also the dog felt safe around the family.
Soon, they arranged to adopt the dog, who Walker later named Dave, inspired by the line “Hey, Dave, listen up, please!”, from the Despicable Me movie. It somehow clicked, although, ironically enough, Dave in this case couldn’t listen up.
And, while the family already owned two dogs, once they realized how important it was for Walker and Dave to have each other around, they knew they had to adopt the pooch.
“When we saw Dave plop down into Walker’s lap, it was a done deal. It was like Dave was saying, ‘This is my person,'” Mindy said.
The family was also happy to find out that the dog had already been taught sign language and he could respond to several commands.
Little by little, Walker’s social life started changing because of Dave. He opened up more, he had fewer meltdowns, and he even decided to join his school’s football team.
What an amazing and inspiring story that reminds us just how beneficial interaction with animals can be!
In case you have a deaf dog and want to teach him hand signals and positions, you can click on the video below.
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