Partially Deaf Senior Dog Hears Owner's Voice Again, Reaction Is Everything
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A senior dog's reaction to hearing his owner's voice through headphones again has brought TikTok viewers to tears.
Alley Dolan told Newsweek via email that she and the family started to notice 13-year-old Rhino's hearing decline in December. The American bully/pit bull mix stopped reacting to words that used to excite him, including ride, walk, ball, lizard, laser and good boy.
Instead of greeting the family when they walked in the door, Rhino would wait until he saw them or noticed their other dogs reacting.
"He seems a little more confused or disconnected at times, and I've noticed he now relies heavily on his nose," Dolan said. "For example, he no longer hears a chip bag rattle, he has to smell the food to know it's there."
Screenshots from the June 1 TikTok video of 13-year-old Rhino trying on bone conduction headphones to listen to his owner's voice.
Screenshots from the June 1 TikTok video of 13-year-old Rhino trying on bone conduction headphones to listen to his owner's voice.
@alley.toks/TikTok
With a brother who has single-sided deafness, Dolan knew about bone conduction headphones, which worked "incredibly well" for him. These wireless headphones rest on a user's cheekbones. Instead of using the eardrum to transmit sound, they vibrate the bones of the skull, sending soundwaves.
The family raved about these headphones, with Dolan getting a pair for herself, and then a lightbulb went off: "What if these could help Rhino too?"
The video posted to her TikTok account @alley.toks last week shows Rhino using these special headphones for the first time. Dolan recorded herself talking, placed the headphones on Rhino and watched in anticipation for a response. As soon as Rhino's eyes lit up, she knew it had worked.
"The moment he paused and looked at me, I just knew he could hear my voice again," she said. "I got choked up—it was like going back to his puppy days."
Seeing Rhino's reaction to her voice was an emotional moment for both Dolan and her husband. She said they do not have children so they view their dogs as part of the family. Rhino has been with them through multiple stages of life, which makes watching him adjust to hearing loss an especially heartbreaking experience for the couple.
While Dolan and her brother use the headphones daily, she said it's more of a special experience when they put them on Rhino to listen. But it could happen more often as Dolan said the company that makes the headphones, Shokz, saw her video and offered to send Rhino his own custom pair, engraved with his name.
"I can't wait to share more moments of Rhino when they arrive," Dolan said. "I hope Rhino's story brings some hope to others with aging or hearing-impaired pets. It's moments like this that remind us how powerful connection really is. Even when things change, love always finds a way."
Viewer Reactions
The video has gained over 2.4 million views and 351,900 likes on TikTok, plus hundreds of comments.
"He was so excited to hear your voice again," wrote one viewer.
Another added: "Awee his eyes when he heard youd, 'Woah I can hear.'"
A third person posted: "This is so wholesome! My heart!"
"This literally made me tear up! What a sweet baby," one TikToker said.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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