Deaf man develops form of sign language to communicate with his deaf dog

Nick Abbott knew he would have an instant connection with Emerson.

Abbott is deaf, and so is Emerson, a black lab mix who was saved from a Florida shelter by a Maine animal rescue. The rescue had a tough time finding someone who wanted to adopt a dog with special needs, but as soon as Abbott learned about Emerson, he stepped up. Just moments after arriving at the rescue, Emerson walked straight to Abbott and sat at his feet. "You could tell he kind of picked me," Abbott told ABC News.

Emerson had a hard life before being with Abbott; he was neglected and barely survived a bout of parvo. Now, he's enjoying every day, and he knows a whole list of commands, thanks to his new owner's special training. Abbott uses visual commands to train Emerson, coming up with his own type of sign language. With a wave of Abbott's hand or the tug of his ear, Emerson can sit, lie down, and bark, among other activities. "The bond that we have is awesome," Abbott said. "We understand each other very well." Catherine Garcia

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