James Isaac, age 9, has autism. He has trouble communicating with people since he is unable to talk. But fortunately, James has the most devoted buddy, who he can rely on to stay by his side round-the-clock. Mahe, his dog.

Mahe, a lovely service dog, has stuck at James’ side ever since they first met, nearly three years ago.

James, a New Zealander, just had an MRI scan to determine the cause of his seizures. The Wellington Children’s Hospital’s medical staff let Mahe to stay with James throughout the scan after seeing how much the two of them needed one another.

Mahe cuddled up to James when he was put under the machine to soothe him and keep him calm.

Mahe can be seen hovering over James in a protective manner when he had general anesthesia and snuggling him as James slept in the hospital bed. James’ parents were able to catch this precious moment on camera.

Going out with James used to be quite difficult, but that changed when he met Mahe, according to Michelle, James’ mother, who spoke to Stuff.co.nz.

We couldn’t even take the family to a café. James would become quite agitated and want to leave right away.

James, however, would just wait for us to drink our coffee when we arrived in Mahe, she said.

Mahe was trained for six months by The Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust to assist children with autism as well as children with a variety of other impairments, such as cerebral palsy.

They are trained to divert their owners’ attention and alert other family members if something is awry. They are also trained to locate lost individuals and items.

‘There is such a magic that happens between a child with autism and the dogs, they simply calm the youngsters down,’ said Wendy Isaacs, the trust’s financial development manager.

Dogs truly are the world’s greatest friends.