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When the mother of a young boy with autism and cerebral palsy thinks back, she never imagined that saving a dog meant she’d be helping her son…and saving herself.

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WARNING: You are about to see
disturbing images of abuse to dogs.

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1. Captured, Caged And Headed To Slaughter

Amanda Leask saw a photograph like this one on Facebook. She was not only aghast…she was motivated to act. Amanda is a dog lover, and the site of a truckload of caged dogs destined for restaurant dinner tables in Vietnam did not sit well with her.

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2. Savior From An Awful Trade

Amanda lived in northern Scotland. The picture was taken Thailand. That’s two continents away. It didn’t matter. Amanda got the name of the Thai photographer who snapped the shot. She contacted the photographer—a woman dedicated to rescuing dogs from the dog meat trade in Thailand.

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3. The Dog Meat Trade

Dog is on the menu in some Asian countries. Every year, tens of thousands of dogs are inhumanely transported from Thailand to neighboring countries. Many die from suffocation before they reach their destination. Those that survive are butchered for meat and sometimes even skinned alive!

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4. Amanda Leask

Amanda saw that image and one dog caught her full attention. “The flash of the camera had caused him to open his eyes and I was just so drawn to him,” she said. She described the dog to the photographer. “Can you locate this dog?”

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5. Intercepted

Turned out the truck that carried the dogs in the image was intercepted by undercover officers from the Soi Dog Foundation, a charitable organization that improves the lives of dogs and cats in Thailand. The photographer happened to be at the shelter where the dogs on that truck were taken.

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6. Overcrowded Rescue Shelter

The photographer said there were approximately 3,000 dogs in the shelter, and disease and death were rampant. She would look, but it might take time. Eight weeks later, she found him! It was a miracle he was still alive. From thousands of miles away, Amanda named the dog Miracle.

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7. The Huskies

Amanda Leask and her husband, Tobias, have 49 dogs including canines rescued from Romania. They also keep huskies for their professional sled racing team. Amanda hoped Miracle would like her and the other dogs at home. But there was one more important detail…

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8. Premie Twins

Amanda and Tobias became parents to twin boys in December 2008: Kyle and Ty. They were 11 weeks early. Ty survived for just 26 hours. Kyle survived but with cerebral palsy and autism. He is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to talk. What happened between Kyle and the dog would be the real miracle.

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9. The Trip Back To Scotland

As soon as Miracle saw Amanda in Harwich port in England, it was as if they knew each other already. On the overnight sleeper train to Edinburgh, Miracle climbed onto the bed and slept across Amanda’s chest. It was adorable. But the real miracle was about to happen.

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10. Miracle

The Leasks were not in a hurry to introduce Miracle to Kyle, because this was Miracle’s first time living in a house. The parents wanted to observe their newest dog’s behavior for a few days, and he proved to be fine. It was time to introduce him to their son.

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11. Excited Dogs

Almost right away Miracle was curious about Kyle. Some of the Leask’s dogs were far too energetic for Kyle’s liking, trying to compete for his attention, climbing up on him in the wheelchair. Miracle wasn’t like that. He somehow knew to be gentle around the boy.

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12. Kyle And Miracle

Kyle communicates with sounds. His parents recognize his noises and can tell if he’s feeling happy or anxious or if he’s about to have a meltdown. They were surprised when Miracle learned his noises, running to Kyle each time he made a particular sound. Miracle would wag his tail and Kyle thought this was funny.

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13. Kyle’s Home! Kyle’s Home!

When Kyle returns home from school, Miracle leaps about excitedly when he hears the specialized vehicle pull up outside their home. But as soon as Kyle comes into the house, Miracle is calm and gentle.

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14. Miracle Understands Kyle

Miracle seemed to realize Kyle was a sensory boy. The dog would lie close to Kyle so he could reach the dog’s fur. If Kyle was getting agitated for whatever reason, the loyal pooch would walk close to Kyle, allowing him to grab the dog’s fur. This would relax Kyle. However, the most amazing breakthrough…

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15. An Amazing Bond

Of all the heartwarming moments between Kyle and Miracle, the ones that outshine them all are the times when Kyle looks into Miracle’s eyes. Autistic children typically do not look into others’ eyes. Kyle won’t look into his mom’s eyes, but it’s different with Miracle. You can almost see that they just want to love each other.

[Featured Image Credit:  news.stv.tv]

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