This heart-warming video shows an abandoned dog’s incredible bond with a boy diagnosed with one of the world’s rarest illnesses.

Owen Howkins, 7, suffers from Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a condition which leaves his muscle in a permanent state of tension.

The youngster said his life changed when his parents adopted Haatchi, a three-legged Italian shepherd who survived being hit by a train after thugs tied him to a railway line.

A Boy and His Dog: Owen Howkins with Haatchi (Picture: YouTube)

‘Before his arrival, Owen didn’t like going out – he was practically agoraphobic,’ his mother Colleen Drummond told the Basingstoke Gazette.


‘Owen used to be scared of strangers, but now he wants to talk to everyone about Haatchi and wants to go out all the time to dog shows. The difference we see in him can’t be put into words.’



Their story has now been made into a book, while Haatchi previously received an award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

‘I feel really happy,’ Owen explained. ‘He changed my life. I’m not scared of strangers now.’