Since before 18-month-old Jennie came into this world, her mother knew that she and Echo, her deaf Great Dane, would be the best of friends.
“Since I was pregnant Echo snuggled up against my baby bump and we said the baby and Echo are going to be best friends and she was ever since we came home from the hospital. Echo is always with the baby and the baby is always with Echo. They are always in the same room together no matter what,” said Marion Dwyer, Jennie’s mom.
Echo was rescued by Dwyer in 2014 from a Great Dane rescue in Louisiana. Echo was a tiny puppy who was going to be put down because the owner said she was “useless and a pain in the butt.” Dwyer already had two Great Danes at her home in Niagara Falls and thought it was meant to be for her to add a third dog with special needs to the family.
“I spent three days in Louisiana to make sure she was stable. I fed her small meals (the size she should be eating) and I drove home on the fourth day to take her to her new home. She got along great with my other dogs and we were a very happy family. She’s such a loving dog and every person she meets loves her, too.”
Especially Jennie who insisted on walking Echo on her leash. Her mother made a video of the two walking down the street and sent it out to a few media outlets. She knew her friends and family would get a kick out of it, but she had no idea the entire world would.
“The video got two million hits in the first week of it being posted,” said Dwyer. “I never expected it go any further than my Facebook page.”
Huge media outlets like Daily Mail, Inside Edition, and The Today Show shared the video with their viewers, showing that the little girl’s friendship with her great big dog was one of a kind.
“She’s developed a crazy attachment to Echo and I think it’s a good lesson for her to know to be respectful and kind to animals,” said Dwyer.
Echo is currently going through the process of becoming a certified therapy dog so she can bring the same joy to others as she has brought to Jennie.
If you would like to see more amazing photos and videos of Echo, follow @echothegreatdane on Instagram.
