Dog Always Lets Her Deaf Sister Know When It's Time For A Walk
“She relies on Lily to tell her if there's anything she needs to know about" 💕
Kinley lost her hearing when she was 6 months old from undetermined causes and has been fully deaf ever since. Sometimes, her lack of hearing makes her a bit anxious when she doesn’t know what’s going on around her — but that anxiety immediately got better as soon as Lily came around.
Lily joined her family as a service dog for her mom, but it wasn’t long before everyone realized that she could sort of be a service dog for Kinley, too. Lily and Kinley were best friends right from the very beginning, and Kinley is always so much happier whenever her sister is around.
“She is SO much more confident, comfortable and content when she has Lily nearby,” Bridget Evans, the pair’s mom, told The Dodo. “She relies on Lily to tell her if there's anything she needs to know about — such as walk time!”
As a part of her service dog training, Lily is trained to go and get help in case her mom falls or needs assistance — so when her mom started saying, “Go get Kinley,” before their walks, Lily absolutely understood the assignment. Now, before every walk, Lily always goes and gets Kinley to let her know that it’s time to go, and Kinley always knows exactly what Lily is telling her.
“I would say that I started it, and they took it from there,” Evans said. “Lily is naturally connected to Kinley and she always loves going on adventures with her. When Lily realizes that Kinley isn't nearby, she'll go get her so she doesn't miss out.”
All Lily has to do is boop Kinley’s nose, and Kinley knows it’s time to go. Usually, Kinley is enjoying a nap when Lily comes over to boop her, but she always wakes up right away, so excited to go out for a walk with her mom and her best friend.
Sometimes not being able to hear can be a little tricky for Kinley to navigate — but with Lily by her side, there’s truly nothing she can’t do.
“They are best friends and thrive when they're together,” Evans said. “Lily's grown up with Kinley and models a lot of her sweet behavior. And Kinley relies on Lily's guidance and support. It's a beautiful relationship, and I'm glad to share glimpses of it with the world.”
