Elle is our Pup of the Week

Buddy Boy, Luca, Sydney and Jamison.  That is a lot of souls passing between the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017.  I think it is time for an uplifting story (tinged with sadness, every uplifting story needs to start sadly or there is nowhere to lift.)

This is the story of a six-year-old non-verbal boy and a three-year-old deaf dog who formed the perfect bond.

The boy is named Connor Guillet.  He was born addicted to opiates.  The newborn had to undergo a detox program.  Genetic testing determined that Connor would have special needs and medical issues including being non communicative.  Despite these challenges Chad and Brandi Guillet were thrilled to adopt Connor when he was 6 weeks old.  

Connor did learn to communicate by sign language.  The family already had an eight-year-old Boxer named Chowda.  When they attended a Boxer Rescue event, they learned about Elle.  She was a rescue dog, available for adoption, who have been trained to understand sign language.

Connor’s Mom wondered if Elle would be able to help Connor.  When she took Connor to meet Elle he hugged her and kissed her.  Elle accepted his love and devotion instantly.  It was a special needs dog, and a special needs boy, neither knowing that they were special, but surely knowing their new best friend, both boy, and dog, were very special.

Connor and Elle understood each other instantly.  When Connor is upset Elle hurries to quiet him. When Connor has a tantrum Elle stands over him to give comfort until he calms down.

Researchers are concluding that children with autism benefit being with dogs.  We dogs do not judge, we love unconditionally and are wonderful companions.  I know humans who don’t have special needs and feel their dog is the only one who understands them.  When you have a special need, like Connor, that understands is amplified.  

Elle does not think of herself as a special needs dogs.  Deaf dogs have advantages.  Dog trainers say they are the easiest dogs to train to be companion animals because they have no distractions.  There are numerous ways to get a dog’s attention besides sounds.  Elle is just a normal dog who lives a quiet life.

And to Connor, she is a best friend, a source of comfort, and a dog he can communicate with like no other soul.

We, angels, are happy to see Elle and Connor together.  We like to think we helped them find one another.

It is nice to report on good things that angels do, and to end a Sunday blog with a happy ending.