Why can't people just see the beauty of this video and stop assuming the worst. I myself feel this little boy had never encountered this close contact with a dog before. Yes he is leery but I like to think this turned out ending in a beautiful friendship. Why always find the negative in a situation? I loved it and this dog is very special!

The video is very touching and the dog is very gentle, and yes it may take some time for the child to feel comfortable with the dog. It always worries me to see a gentle animal with a small child, not just one with Down Syndrome, because I fear that the child will hurt the animal.

Although, the dog's attempts at friendship are touching, the child clearly wants to get away from the dog. He moves away repeatedly, and pushes the dogs legs and face away from him. This does not seem to be the best way to get him comfortable; leave him alone with a dog while you film it and giggle. Would be much better for the adult to be part of the interaction, and to introduce the dog in smaller doses.

i am a grandmother of a down syndrome granddaughter that is 4 and grandmother to 9 other grandchildren and i own 2 dogs that adore all my grandchildren and everyone of them took there own cautious time getting to know the dogs of mine. i find it perfectly normal for any child to be wary of an animal getting too close and all children including down syndrome children have there moments of not smiling. everyone judges down syndrome saying they are so happy all the time and yes my granddaughter is very happy but not all the time and in that aspect she is very normal. i absolutely adored this video and cried watching

I have to clarify something. I realize the child has Downs Syndrome, and it might me the first time he has encountered a dog...however, the pup is trying his best to interact with the boy and he shows no interest, not a giggle nor even a smile. He pulls the dog away and there is a moment where he appears to be irritated or angry with the dog. I was just making that observation because I have never witnessed a child with Down Syndrome react that way before. I have worked with children that have Down Syndrome in the past. Perhaps in time he will come around, I hope so for both of them.

I think the video is adorable. To the people posting negative comments, there are many unknowns in this situation. The boy is young, possibly only 3 or 4 years old. This may have been his first encounter with a dog & wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Also, the video was only 4 minutes long, so we don't know what happened after the recording stopped. We don't know how long ago this video was taken, so the boy & dog may be best friends by now.

just adorable

These people commenting about the child being disinterested .. you are forgetting this child has downs syndrome and may possibly never have had any interraction with a dog ... it will take time. The child does not seem to be displaying and fear or that he wishes to hurt the dog ... it will take time for him to trust the dog ... and the clever dog recognises that x

How beautiful and great that you caught it on film. Dogs bring so much to our lives if you let them in and understand them ... I feel sorry for those people who haven't realised tgey joy and love you get by adding a dog to your family. I've always loved dogs and will continue keeping them for the rest of my life x

This dog has a lot of patience. He does not give up even when the little boys moves away from him. I hope this works out for both of them. Dogs are very understanding!

Awwwwww, that is just soooooooooo adorable, how sweet :@) Dog's R our lives, at least They love Us unconditionally, even when not deserved. The child is fine leave Him alone, OMG, people make Me soooooo sick This is the full reason I prefer animals over people any day, at least They R worthy

The child does seem a bit disinterested. I enjoyed very much watching the pup make such a grand effort to be noticed and loved. Too much is not known with these two, however, and I agree that making pronouncements is premature. Thinking that the dog may end up in a shelter? Huh? More than a bit premature and rather negative thinking. He is not hurting the child. Does this dog even belong to the little boy or his family? To many variables. Loved to watch this sweet pup!!

I agree with a number of the posters on here... this incredibly sweet dog is doing everything in his power to connect with this child, but the child wants nothing to do with this dog. In fact, I would be worried about the child hurting the dog if I were the mom taking the video. This is not touching in the slightest bit.

While I appreciate the worries behind other's comments, we don't actually know anything about the circumstances of this video. This might be very early on in the relationship between this toddler and the dog. We might see another video in 12 months that shows what progress has been made in their rapport. What I see in this video is a wonderful dog who is trying very hard to win over the heart of this little boy. Ok, the boy doesn't quite know what to do with the dog, but that dog seems to have the patience needed to teach the boy how to be affectionate. Let's give them a chance and give them time. Please let us see another video in a year's time. Thank you.

I think there is a lot of bonding going on here. and the video starts and stops. The child obviously likes this dog.

I am surprised by the negative (or at least not positive) comments here. Special needs children often have dual or more disabilities...the bond isn't always immediate. Sheesh!--the dog shows way more patience than a few of our humans do. Four minutes is hardly long enough to make a determination that a bond is questionable. Personally, I did see positive signs: the child did not express fear or flight, perhaps he was learning on his own terms when he backed up or moved dog's paw. You can see child pull dog to him and "hug" him briefly; you see them nuzzle heads while the dog wags its tail. Sure seems to me like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Very disturbing because if the child fails to bond with the dog chances are the dog will end up in a shelter. The mom should have put the camera down and showed the child how to love the dog back, instead she was amused by him rejecting the dog. I wish the best for the dog.

This video is only a bit over 4 minutes...give the kid a chance...he is also backed into a wall, Downs kids are not always laughing and maybe just doesn't knpw how to react....yet. I hope Andrew and Joseph are incorrect. hard to eval on just a short vid

this video is also disturbing to me for some reason, such a kind dog but you can see the blank expression in the kids eyes .... most kids with down syndrome get animal therapy and enjoy being with dogs though this child seems eerily distant

This is disturbing to me, most people I have encountered that have Down Syndrome smile or express love in some way or the other. This child appears to have no expression, a blank distance look, shows no love. He continues to avoid the affection from the pup throughout the clip. A child without Down Syndrome, at this age, would have smiled, giggled, laughed or hugged this beautiful loving pup. This behavior seems deeply disturbing to me.