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Try to watch this video of a boy and his dog without crying

 
Tampa Bay Times
Published Feb. 19, 2014

He has us at his first words in the video: "Hi, my name is Owen and I'm 7 years old and Haatchi is my best friend."

"His muscles are always in a state of tension. They never relax," Owen's dad explains about Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome, the condition that means Owen, now 8, uses a walker or wheelchair to get around.

Stay tuned because soon we'll be saying hello to our friends Owen and Haatchi again! #OwenAndHaatchi pic.twitter.com/mckV6IM359

Owen tells us in the video, created to spread the word about his rare condition, that he used to be afraid to go outside because of people's attention. Then he met Haatchi. The Anatolian shepherd has his own Twitter account that says he was "deliberately abandoned on a railway line and hit by a train. I now live with my best friend Owen Howkins."

"It's almost like he understands," Owen's mom says about the boy and his three-legged dog. "From the moment they met ... there was an immediate bond. It's just like they both knew that each of them were different and there was an instant understanding of those differences."

What did she learn from the pair? "No matter how bad things get, there is always something good in the world."

"He does look after me and he's special," Owen says of Haatchi.

They even got a bit of attention from a fellow Brit:

"@Gervaisaholics: Abandoned dog helps disabled boy overcome fears #kindnessismagic http://t.co/KoLfzWYwri " < I definitely didn't cry.

Us, either, Ricky. Us either.