Owen Howkins has a genetic disorder thought to afflict only 25 people globally – the condition left him struggling to breathe as he withdrew into a private world
A giant dog left to die on a railway line is helping a little boy overcome the nightmare of suffering from one of the planet’s rarest illnesses.
Eight-year-old Owen Howkins has a genetic disorder thought to afflict only 25 people globally, reports the Sunday People.
The muscle-stiffening condition left him struggling to breathe as he withdrew into a private world.
Then his desperate dad Will and stepmum Colleen brought home Haatchi the Anatolian shepherd dog, who had lost a leg after being cruelly bludgeoned round the head by his owner and dumped on a train line.
Owen and the huge hound formed an immediate bond.
And in the 18 months since, the boy has turned his life around.
Now their amazing story has been told by author Wendy Holden in a book due out on February 13.
Haatchi was still a pup when he had to have his rear left leg and tail amputated by RSPCA vets after being hit by a train in Leyton, East London, in January 2012.
Meanwhile, Owen was trapped in his own private hell.
He had appeared to be perfectly healthy when he was born in 2005.
But after 18 months dad Will and mum Kim, both in the RAF, noticed his muscles were oddly well-defined – like a tiny bodybuilder’s – yet he had difficulty crawling and his behaviour suggested autism.
Southampton General Hospital specialists diagnosed Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome, which makes his muscles permanently tense, prevents bones from growing properly and so causes reduced stature.
It was the first case of its kind in the UK.
In a tough period for the family, Will and Kim divorced in early 2009. Will, of Basingstoke, Hants, was given primary custody of Owen.
He later met New Zealander Colleen on a dating website.
Wedding day: The bride and groom with their best man and best dog
She first met Owen on his fourth birthday and said: “Happy birthday, Little Buddy”.
From then on he was known as Little B.
Owen started at school but, unable to get around with a walker, became increasingly withdrawn.
Holden’s book says: “He couldn’t stand up by himself.
“Often during playtime he had to remain inside his classroom for fear of being knocked over.”
As time passed he didn’t want to be seen in public. The muscle stiffness made breathing hard and he had to use an oxygen mask at night.
Will, 33, and Colleen, 41, already had one rescue dog, Mr Pixel, and decided another might help.
Browsing a website, they spotted Haatchi – named after a famous dog in Japan in the 1920s which waited for its master to come home for 10 years following the owner’s death – and knew he was for them.
The excitable giant, fully recovered from his head wounds and amputation, was led into Owen’s room while the child was still asleep.
The book says: “As soon as he saw the oxygen mask and flow-machine he sniffed the air repeatedly and almost tiptoed to where Little B lay.
“Then he silently backed away.
“It was as if he knew this was a vulnerable boy and the machinery and tubes were a no-go area for him.”
And describing the moment Owen saw Haatchi for the first time, the book says: “Owen’s mouth fell open as a dog three times his size lolloped over and, without any encouragement, placed his head calmly and quietly on Owen’s leg.
“They took one look at each other and each of them melted. It was love at first sight – for both of them.
Mail: Time to read our postcards
“Colleen said later the atmosphere in the room changed in an instant. It was utterly electric – a combination of pure love and acceptance.
“It is hard to describe the connection between the two of them.
“It was as if they were reconnecting like old friends meeting each other again, rather than for the first time’.”
The book goes on: “The two of them curled up together on the sofa where Owen stroked his new friend and began to whisper in his ear.
“The bond that was forged between them that morning is something that only they will ever understand.
“For the rest of that weekend boy and dog lay together – in bed, on the sofa or on the floor.”
Owen said: “I felt really happy. Everything changed in my life that day.”
The change was dramatic.
He’d been difficult about taking his medication but when he saw Haatchi eating pills he had to take after the amputation, Owen took his own without complaint.
The book says: “ Haatchi also became invaluable for moral support whenever Little B had to go through any painful physiotherapy sessions, remaining at his side and showing his concern with a comforting lick.
“When he was very excited he’d speak to Owen in his special dog talk that made him sound a bit like Scooby-Doo.
“And, of course, there were always goodnight huggles before they both went to sleep.
Family: Owen with his mother Kim
“Haatchi responded equally strongly to the child he now saw it as his duty to protect.
“When Owen went back to school the Monday after the rescue dog had come into their lives, Haatchi wandered restlessly around the house looking for his little boy and didn’t settle until he came home.
“It was clear he was missing his new best friend.”
For the first time Owen started engaging with outsiders.
His schoolwork dramatically improved and he even stood up in class and announced it was his ambition to walk again “with the help of his special dog”.
The book says: “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Everyone who witnessed the change in Owen accepted that it was largely down to Haatchi.”
In the past 18 months, Owen and Haatchi have wowed the crowds at world-famous Crufts, won rosettes in contests, got an Animal Action Award from Queen idol Brian May, clinched a prestigious Braveheart children’s medal and won the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Dog of the Year title.
They have also starred in a string of TV programmes such as ITV’s This Morning with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughboy and C4’s Paul O’Grady Show.
Owen and Haatchi were best man and dog when Will and Colleen wed last August.
The book says: “After such an unhappy beginning for them all, the family hoped and prayed that they had found their happy ending.”