Originally published 2020-03-04.
In spring 2019, Nick Abbott, a 31-year-old man from Maine who was born deaf, adopted Emerson, a black Labrador mix puppy who is also deaf. Emerson had been rescued from a shelter in Florida by NFR Maine, a foster-based rescue, and Nick quickly began teaching him hand signs for sit, come and lie down. Their story went viral after Good Morning America reported it, and it remains a lovely example of how a disability that makes a dog "hard to place" can become the very thing that creates a perfect match.
How Emerson found his way to Maine
Emerson's start in life was rough. He was pulled from a Florida shelter when he was only about six weeks old and transported north to Maine, a journey many rescue puppies make because shelters in some southern states are overcrowded while northern rescues have waiting adopters. Along the way he battled canine parvovirus, a highly contagious and often deadly virus in young unvaccinated puppies, and he also suffered seizures.
He pulled through both. Only after he came back from the vet did his foster carers notice something else. Lindsay Powers of NFR Maine told ABC News that once they got him home, "we realized he had hearing difficulties." Nobody knows for sure whether he was born deaf or lost his hearing because of illness early on. Either way, he behaved like any other bouncy puppy.
A match made through one Facebook post
Powers shared Emerson's profile on Facebook in March 2019, hoping someone would see past the label of "deaf puppy." A few weeks later an application arrived from Nick. He explained that he was deaf too and felt the two of them would understand each other. Powers was so moved that she processed the adoption within a day.
Nick's mother, Richelle Abbott, said the pair were "meant for each other." She told reporters that Emerson always finds a way to lean on Nick when they are together, a classic sign of trust in dogs. Her favourite quirk: whenever Nick gently shakes his own earlobe, Emerson responds by barking.
Teaching a deaf dog with sign language
Dogs read body language naturally, which is why deaf dogs often learn hand signals as quickly as hearing dogs learn spoken words. Nick started with the basics: signs for sit, lie down and come. For someone who uses sign language every day, consistent and clear gestures come naturally, and that consistency is exactly what a dog needs.
The American Kennel Club's advice for training deaf dogs follows the same principles:
- Use a visual "yes" marker. Instead of a clicker, a thumbs-up or open-hand flash tells the dog the moment it got something right, followed by a treat.
- Teach an attention signal. A gentle touch on the same spot, a flick of the lights or a stamp on the floor (dogs feel the vibration) can mean "look at me."
- Reward check-ins. Every time the dog looks at you without being asked, reward it. Deaf dogs learn to keep an eye on their person.
- Prevent startle reactions. Because deaf dogs cannot hear you coming, practise touching them gently and following with a reward, and let a sleeping dog wake to your scent before you touch it.
- Keep one sign per behaviour. Mixing gestures confuses any dog.
Why special-needs dogs wait longer for homes
Shelters and rescues often see older, sick or disabled animals passed over in favour of healthy young puppies. Deaf dogs in particular can be labelled as difficult, snappy or untrainable, assumptions that experienced owners say are rarely true. With the right training they live full, happy lives.
Deafness in dogs can be present from birth, often linked to coat-colour genes in breeds with a lot of white, or it can come later from infection, injury, certain drugs or old age. Emerson's case shows how uncertain the cause can be. What matters most for adopters is how the dog communicates now and what routines it already knows.
If you are considering a deaf dog, a few practical points help: keep them on a lead or in a securely fenced area, since they cannot hear a recall or traffic; add a tag noting that the dog is deaf; and ask the rescue to show you any signals the foster family already uses. That conversation makes the first days together far more predictable.
Photos of Nick and Emerson
The pictures below were shared by the Abbott family and show Nick and Emerson together in their first months as a team.
All images: Richelle and Nick Abbott.
What their story teaches us
It would be easy to frame this as a story about a man saving a dog. It is really about two individuals who share a way of experiencing the world finding each other. Nick did not need to adapt to Emerson's deafness; he already lived with it, and he could teach the puppy in the language he uses himself.
For everyone else, the lesson is that the qualities that make an animal seem harder to adopt can disappear with patience, consistency and a little imagination. If you are looking for a dog, ask your local shelter about the animals that have waited longest. One of them may be your Emerson.
Sources: ABC News / Good Morning America: Deaf man adopts deaf rescue puppy and teaches him sign language (30 April 2019); American Kennel Club: How to train a deaf dog. Photos courtesy of Richelle and Nick Abbott.
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