A dog gave off the ultimate little brother energy when he made sure his deaf older sister could hear him annoying her.
Theodore the hound lives in Michigan with his owner, Stephanie, and her two other dogs, senior dog Annie, pit bull mix Lou, as well as cat Scott.
Stephanie, who asked to use her first name only, told Newsweek she adopted Theodore two years ago, and while there were concerns at how elderly Annie would get along with a puppy in the house, “he has been attached to her from the beginning.”
At 15, Annie has begun losing her sight and hearing over the years, and is now, according to a viral TikTok posted to Stephanie’s page @stepphb730, “95% deaf and about 80% blind.”
In the video, viewed over 185,000 times, it shows Theodore getting “real close and loud to make sure she hears you aggravating her.”
The dog can be seen getting right up to Annie’s face and barking into her ear, waiting a few moments in silence, then swapping to her other ear and barking into that one.
Annie gives back as good as she gets, as she scolds her little brother with barks of her own, and the pair appear to be having a long, very loud, conversation.
Theodore the Hound made sure his deaf older sister knew he was annoying her, by barking right into her ear. The 15-year-old dog gave back as good as she got.
TikTok @stepphb730
Speaking to Newsweek, Stephanie, 42, said Theodore “knows she has limitations so he plays on her terms.”
There are a lot of things pet owners should consider before bringing a puppy into a home with an older dog, including a veterinarian examination for both, to ensure no diseases are passed on.
The elderly dog’s routine should be stuck to as well as possible, and owners may consider crating the puppy when they are not home, to prevent them from potentially disturbing the senior dog, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
In Theodore’s case, he has such “a big personality that he manages to charm everyone, people and dogs, even though he’s super naughty,” Stephanie said.
“He is the only dog who loves going to the vet and insists on going to the back to say hi to everyone,” she added.
And TikTok users fell in love with both dogs, with the clip racking up 50,000 likes and hundreds of comments, with one commenter writing: “I’m cracking up at the intentional snout to ear communication.”
“It’s the intentional barking straight into the ear for me,” another laughed, as one described it as the siblings’ classic: “I’m not touching you, but dogs version.”
And as one put it: “Footage of my parents when my dad takes out his hearing aids.”
Annie has lost much of her sight and hearing due to her age. There were concerns how she would get on with puppy Theodore, but he has been “attached” to her from day one.
TikTok @stepphb730
Stephanie, who works with a healthcare company, “never expected” her video to go viral, as she only posts videos of “the chaos and Theo’s antics because I had to have an outlet for all of the craziness that comes with Theo.”
“I just post things I find funny of our daily life but never expected it to take off,” she admitted.
The viral clip has come with other perks, she said, as her 11-year-old nephew is “obsessed” with how many views it has, and called to “ask me how I did it.”
As she put it: “I’m finally cool again—for like five minutes.”
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.
