A new pet can bring a lot of happiness to a family. Nanette O’Neill would agree. Her 26 year old son Justin was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, which caused brain damage and cerebral palsy. He needs full time care, and can’t walk or talk. He can however understand everything she says says and he waves his left arm for yes and shakes his head for no.
With the recent addition of a greyhound to their family, Nanette says, there’s no question he has found a lifelong friend.
She says they recently adopted Diamond from the Maritime Greyhound Adoption Program, “Diamond just automatically went right over to him. I have never seen it before.”
She thought it would take awhile for Diamond to get used to Justin, who often makes loud noises, as a way to communicate. Nanette says in the past, dogs have been startled by the sound. But with the greyhound, it was quite the opposite, “We figured it was going to take awhile to get used to each other, but when he started petting her, she just stood there. Now she always comes up to see Justin when she comes into a room, and she likes to lay on a carpet at his feet.”
She says Diamond has been very calming for Justin, and also makes him more alert. He is also always looking for her, and he is always happy when she is around.
Diamond helps to get Justin up in the morning with a nudge on the face, and it is a great start to his day, “The other day, she was on her bed, and she was barking at Justin and wagging her tail, and he thought it was just wonderful,” Nanette adds.
She feels, based on this experience, “I think greyhounds would make a great therapy dog. She is very calm, and Diamond has certainly helped my son.”
