For Baxter, he had a really rough start in life. At less than a year old, he was abandoned, ending up at animal control before being dropped off at Animal Humane New Mexico. He was terrified, and the shelter life proved difficult for him as he cowered in fear.
“Baxter was completely non-responsive, as he had learned to shut down rather than deal with the stimulations that were depleting his personality,” Sam Blankenship, the adoptions director at Animal Humane New Mexico said.
For a little girl named Neeva, at only 4 years old, she was looking for a friend–someone to understand her like so many others could not. Born deaf, Neeva attends the Santa Fe School for the Deaf and uses sign language to communicate with her parents. Neeva, just like anyone other small child, wanted a friend to play with who would make her feel like she belonged. Her parents decided that maybe a dog would be a good place to start, and when they arrived at the shelter where they lived in New Mexico, they never thought things could ever be this good.
“It was kind of that love at first sight kind of thing, so we brought him home and things have been great,” Chelsea Goff, Neeva’s mom, told KRQE News 13.
Neeva and Baxter are inseparable, and since sign language is her primary language, she’s taught Baxter so they can be on the same page. Baxter took to basic commands, and he and Neeva spend their days joined at the hip, always by each other’s side in everything that they do. Finally Neeva and Baxter both have what they really wanted, a friend for life.
Isn’t it amazing how a dog can change the life of someone in ways they never thought possible? Share this sweet story with your friends who love dogs, just like you!
