A deaf man has not only done an amazing thing by giving a deaf, visually-impaired rescue puppy a much-needed new home, but he's also gone one better by teaching him sign language so the two can communicate with each other.



Nick Abbot, who lives in Maine, United States, adopted adorable puppy Emerson from the North Florida Rescue (NFR) centre when he was just 12 weeks old.

Emerson and his siblings were taken in by NFR Maine at just eight weeks, having been suffering from seizures. He wasn't able to eat or drink, and then also developed the very serious parvovirus.

Emerson the pup. Credit: North Florida Rescue

Advert

Thankfully, Emerson made it through, but his health issues meant he was left behind as he saw all the other pups around him adopted.

That is, of course, until Nick came along.

"He came straight to me at the door and sat right away at my feet and stayed there," Nick told WABI.

"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."

Advert

Nick, who is also deaf, has since starting teaching Emerson sign language so that they could communicate with each other.

Nick has now taught Emerson commands via sign language. Credit: WABI

His four-legged pal will sit when Nick signs the letter 'S', and will even lie down on the floor when his owner signs a straight line.

"The bond that we have is awesome," Nick added.

Advert

"We understand each other very well. I'd like to think it was meant to be. He's special."

Emerson and Nick. Credit: North Flordia Rescue

Nick had decided to adopt Emerson after reading a Facebook post about him from NFR, which said 'amazing' Emerson was still looking for his 'forever home' after all his siblings were adopted.

Emerson's plight had particularly resonated with Nick, as he was born deaf, so he reached out to the centre to see if they might be a good match.

Advert

"We just had a really tough time finding him the PERFECT home," a Facebook update from NFR read.

Emerson is deaf and visually impaired. Credit: North Florida Rescue

"Nick reached out with interest in Emerson because he too is deaf! Nick said he was interested in meeting Emerson because they would understand each other, being that they both share the same hearing difficulties.

"When Nick and his Mom walked into the house to meet Emerson, Emerson made a direct line for Nick and sat at his feet. That's all it took. I was sold that this was fate, and these 2 belonged to each other."

Advert