Dog is man’s best friend. But how many of you have heard of the unbreakable bond between a deaf dog and a teen with a similar physical disability? Such a bond was shared by Walker Cousineau and his deaf dog, Dave.
After seeing Dave’s photo on social media, Walker immediately told his mother that he would like to have the dog as his best friend. Walker was 14 years old and has a hearing impairment. On the other hand, Dave the 6-year-old white Pitbull was also deaf.
At Walker’s request, his parents Mindy and Jim Cousineau took their son for a 35-mile drive. They traveled from their home in Bentley to Mich. They eventually made it to the Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters to adopt Dave.
When the staff at the shelter brought Dave to the Cousineau family, Walker bonded immediately with the Pitbull.
Walker was a ninth grader and suffered from bilateral hearing loss when he got influenza A at the age of 10. He also suffered from high-functioning autism. This meant that he could hear high-pitched sounds but needed a hearing aid to listen to the low-pitched sounds.
The reason behind Dave and Walker’s unbreakable bond was the similar physical problem that they shared. This made them understand each other very well.
According to Casey Nicholson of the Humane Society of Midland County, Dave needed extra love. He spent his earlier days in a home where he was left outside to go away and neglected.
The staff at the shelter loved Dave because of his kind personality. However, due to his hearing impairment, he was placed for adoption. Before being adopted by the Cousineau family, Dave had been in the shelter for about a month. After adoption, Dave started acting as though he had always been a member of the Cousineau family.
