Nine-year-old James Isaac has autism. He can’t speak and finds it hard to make contact with others. 

But thankfully, James has the most loyal friend, who he can count on to stay by his side 24/7. His dog, Mahe.

Mahe is a beautiful assistance dog, who refuses to leave James’ side ever since they first met, two and a half years ago.

James, who is from New Zealand, recently underwent an MRI scan in order to diagnose his seizures. Having seen how much the pair needed each other, doctors at the Wellington Children’s Hospital allowed Mahe to stay with James during the scan.

While James was put under the machine, Mahe comforted him and helped keep him calm by snuggling up to him.

James’ parents captured the endearing moment, in which Mahe can be seen watching over James protectively as he went under general anesthetic, and cuddling him as James slept in the hospital bed.

Michelle, James’ mother, told Stuff.co.nz that going out with James used to be incredibly hard, until he met Mahe, that is.

‘We couldn’t even go to a cafe as a family. James would get very anxious and want to leave immediately.

‘But when we got Mahe, James would just sit there waiting for us to finish our coffee,’ she said.

Mahe was trained for six months by The Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust, to help children with autism, alongside children who suffer from a range of other disabilities including cerebral palsy.

They are taught to distract their owners, and alarm other family members should something be wrong. They are also trained to track missing people and objects.

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

Dogs really are the best friends ever.