Brian Kajiyama has never been able to talk due to cerebral palsy, but he and his new service dog, Zeus, have formed a special bond that goes beyond words.

The young Labrador retriever has learned a new sign language created especially for Kajiyama, who can only move his right hand and arm, and his mouth.

“;Zeus has a very unique coloring, where his back fur is golden, but has two light spots that are like angel wings; he truly is heaven sent,”; said Kajiyama through his DynaWrite device, which converts what he has typed into a human voice.

“;I am 10 times freer and more independent with Zeus. Zeus provides me with more self-confidence, knowing that if I drop something, he can get it for me. Now I don't have to rely on anyone,”; said Kajiyama, 31.

“;And I now can legitimately use the excuse that my dog ate my homework,”; he added with a big, lopsided grin.

Kajiyama is a graduate student in special education at University of Hawaii at Manoa, and assists the UH football team as a computer monitor.

This new sign language - which does not require the use of two hands or facial expressions - is a blending of American Sign Language and a few dog training signals. It was created by Maureen Maurer, a University of Hawaii graduate student in animal behavior, who founded the nonprofit Hawaii Canines for Independence in 2000 with her husband on Maui. There is no charge for the service dogs or for the lifetime follow-up visits and training, said Maurer, who plans to publish her thesis for others to use.

“;A whole new world of opportunity has now been opened for other people with physical disabilities that are also nonverbal,”; as well as for dogs that are deaf, she added.

Maurer trained Zeus for nine months in Maui, and worked with them together every week for another nine months in Honolulu. Zeus and Kajiyama graduated in October and Kajiyama was finally able to take Zeus home to his parents' house.

Maurer's final boot camp training and written exams were “;harder than anything I've ever experienced at the university,”; said Kajiyama. He called Zeus, 11/2 years old, “;a genius”; for learning 80 commands quickly. Kajiyama said he doesn't foresee problems getting Zeus to understand what he wants: “;He understands me better than I do him.”;

“;Zeus enjoys responding to the sign language so much that he likes to pretend that he doesn't speak English anymore! He sometimes ignores a verbal command and waits for the sign,”; Maurer said.

With his one working hand - which includes a paralyzed thumb - Brian deftly steers his electric wheelchair; types out complex, thoughtful answers; and frequently rewards Zeus with bits of kibble. He also uses a clicker or a bell occasionally, and two knocks to signal Zeus to come.

Kajiyama has never been able to have a service dog because he can't voice the commands. Dogs would not respond to the monotone voice of Kajiyama's communication device, Maurer said.

“;It's all about tone and timing, inflection, which are more important (when speaking to dogs) than the words you say,”; she said. Dogs also need immediate reinforcement, and having Kajiyama type out his commands or praise would take too long for a dog to understand.

Zeus loves his work because dogs like to feel useful, and “;he loves Brian ... he's a one-person dog,”; she said.

“;Zeus realizes that Brian needs him to do things, whereas I've been pretending (during training). Zeus really gets it,”; Maurer said.