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Deaf dog has a sense of rhythm

Posted at 11:43 PM, Mar 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-11 23:43:20-04

WEST OLIVE, Mich. -- "Sister" is a three year-old terrier mix who loves people, has a lot of energy, and loves music -- even though she's deaf.

"My theory is that she feels the vibrations of it. I don't know if that's accurate or not," said Bo Hamilton, the Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Harbor Humane Society. "This is my armchair, amateur opinion, but it seems that she gets very engaged whenever I play the guitar in the kennels."

Sister is a transfer dog from Tipton, Tennessee, who came to the Harbor Humane Society in January. "There's a lot of guys down there who own these. So maybe there was somebody that played guitar and was really nice to her, or maybe I look like that guy," said Hamilton.

Whatever the reason, Sister responds whenever Bo plays his guitar. He says she doesn't have a particular favorite genre of music, but she likes it loud. That adds some substance to his theory that she feels the vibrations when he plays his guitar.

Sister is looking for a permanent home. Her future owner should be willing and able to go through the extra training with her to communicate well. "We're trying to teach her sign language," said Hamilton. "So we're teaching her how to sit, and we're teaching her her name and good girl and different things using ASL."

Sister is also a very energetic dog, who is not compatible with cats. "She's athletic. She's a strong dog, but as you can see she's not one that has to go 100 miles an hour all the time," said Hamilton.

If you'd like to adopt Sister, you can visit the Harbor Humane Society website here.