A 6-year-old California boy has taken on a great responsibility at an animal shelter.
Jacob Tumalan, who has high-functioning autism, reads storybooks to shy shelter dogs at Carson Animal Shelter in Gardena, California—a shelter his aunt, Lisa Dekowski-Ferranti, brought him to.
According to Jacob’s mom, Katie Tumalan, Jacob’s weekly visits to the shelter have improved his reading skills, but most importantly, his social skills, she told ABC News. While he is helping dogs come out of their shells, he too, is coming out of his.
“My son has always had a big problem with loud noises and a lot of activity around him,” Tumalan of La Habra, California, said. “When he’s there, he looks like he’s pretty focused and he could block a lot of that out. At times he'll cover his ears, but he stays in tune with the dogs while reading his books, so that’s pretty awesome to me.”
“I am very proud of him,” she added.
Ferranti told Epoch Times that most of the rescue dogs listens to Jacob, “they respond to him very well,” she said.
She describes Jacob as a calm, quiet, and emotional, traits she says help him succeed in building a relationship with the dogs at the shelter.
