Nick Abbott, 31, of Maine, adopted his dog Emerson through the foster-basedrescue, NFR Maine.

At 6 weeks old, Emerson was rescued from a shelter in Florida and latertransferred up north.The black lab mix experienced seizures and an infectionknown as canine parvovirus. He eventually pulled through and was put up foradoption, said Lindsay Powers of NFR Maine.

“Once we got him home from the vet’s office from Florida, we realized he hadhearing difficulties,” Powers told “Good Morning America. “He doesn’t let itbother him at all, though he’s a typical puppy.”

“He had such a rough start to life and he ended up with an absolute fairy taleending,” Powers added.

Powers said she’s unsure if Emerson was born deaf or if he lost his hearinglater on.

In March, Powers shared a Facebook post in hopes to find Emerson a foreverhome. Weeks later, NFR Maine received an application from Abbott.

“Right off the bat he said, ‘I’m deaf also and I feel like we’d have a goodconnection,’” Powers recalled, adding that she processed the applicationwithin a day.

Abbott and Emerson soon met in person and hit it off. Richelle Abbott, NickAbbott’s mom, told “GMA” that her son and the pup were “meant for each other.”

“It’s amazing,” she said of their relationship. “Whenever they’re together,Emerson is always finding a way to lean on Nick.”

Richelle Abbott, a mother of two, said Nick has been teaching Emerson signlanguage to sit, lay down and come.

“If Nick reaches up and shakes his ear lobe, Emerson will bark — it’s socute,” she added.

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