‘A Boy and His Dog’: Boy with rare genetic disorder thrives thanks to three-legged dog

In October 2012, we shared the story of a young boy and his three-legged dog.

Owen Howkins, then 7, was born with Schwartz-Jampel, a rare genetic disorder that causes his muscles to be permanently tense and requires ongoing hospital treatment.

The condition made him self-conscious around strangers and he grew anxious, withdrawn, and "practically agoraphobic."

It wasn't until his family adopted an injured three-legged dog named Haatchi in February of 2012 that Owen slowly started becoming more confident and social.

"When Haatchi came, I wasn't scared," Owen told ITV. "He changed my life."

A video of the two best friends went viral.

Now that sweet relationship is "back in the spotlight" thanks to a new short film, titled "A Boy and His Dog," created as part of a documentary filmmaking course to raise awareness for Owen's rare disease.

Since last week, the 9-minute doc has been viewed more than 1 million times.

Grab a tissue (or two) and watch the documentary above.

Last week also marked the release of "Haatchi & Little B," a book sharing Owen and his dog's inspiring story.

On Saturday, Haatchi joined Owen for their very first book signing.