Little Quaden Bayles is five, but he looks younger.
That's because the five-year-old from Brisbane suffers from achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.
Diagnosed just three days after his birth, Quaden is almost a foot shorter than the average five-year-old, coming in at just under 80cm.
Sadly, the little boy’s condition hasn’t gone unnoticed by school yard bullies, and his self-esteem was starting to take a battering.
That’s why his mum Yarraka Bayles was so pleased when her vet friend told her about a dog she’d come across – one who had the exact same condition as Quaden!
“I couldn’t believe it when she said she had a rescue dog that had achondroplasia. I had no idea the condition affected animals too,” she told News.com.au.
Straight away, Yarraka told her friend that she wanted to adopt the little pooch, convinced that this would help her boy to accept himself as he was.
And she wasn’t wrong.
“As soon as Quaden saw Buddy, the bond was instant,” she said. “Quaden just adores his new pal and they do everything together. Buddy comes up to Quaden’s waist and is the perfect companion.”
“Quaden is so proud of Buddy and the fact he has dwarfism too. We went to the park the other day and he was telling everyone they were both dwarfs. It was lovely to see. I feel like Buddy’s arrival has really helped Quaden realise he’s not alone.”
The bond between the adorable duo is all the more touching given how much the bullying was beginning to get Quaden down.
“One day he even banned me and his sisters from using the word dwarf. He absolutely hated it,” she said.
“I knew then that I needed to do something to help him accept his condition otherwise he’d grow up with all sorts of issues.”
Just like his pint-sized owner, Buddy has a few medical issues. For instance, he requires daily medication for arthritis, which affects many achondroplasia sufferers.
“Quaden is so attentive to Buddy. He knows what it must feel like as they both suffer with the same side-effects of being born with shorter limbs.”
“Buddy has been a blessing for Quaden. They really are in this journey together and I hope their story helps other people realise it’s cool to be small.”
SHARE if this touched your heart.
