Beach dog with visual and hearing impairment is the best guide for a family on vacation

When on a vacation, the place of stay can make a difference in anyone's experience. One family probably had the best stay mostly because they had the pleasure of being assisted by a guide dog. He isn't the usual guide dog who does the job of guiding the blind, but he is a blind and deaf dog who guides the guests around the beach. Hannah Brown—who goes by @notalabamahannah on TikTok—posted a video of her and her parents stay at the Lighthouse Cottages in Turks and Caicos, showing the adorable furry canine that came with their room.

Hannah opens the front door of their Airbnb to find a dog named Soldier waiting patiently to lead her over a boardwalk and down a sandy road to a beautiful turquoise ocean and beach sand. The video clip has been viewed over eleven million times. The overlay text explained, "When your Airbnb comes with a deaf/blind dog that leads you to the beach every morning."

"We get so scared that Soldier is going to fall off the front walkway every single time," Hannah joked in her video's caption, but Soldier seemed like an experienced professional who trips off without a hitch every time.

According to The Veterinary Nurse, it is most likely because dogs rely on their sense of smell more than any other sense. Soldier's lack of sight and hearing suggests that his sense of smell is even stronger. Dogs who lack certain senses develop adaptations such as maintaining a consistent environment, using the remaining senses to enable stress-free navigation and modifying communication methods. Soldier definitely gathered some fans on TikTok. "I would follow that dog anywhere it wanted to take me," commented @graciebow.

 "An Airbnb with a dog concierge that escorts you to the beach. Lovely," wrote @coachdeelaylor. A few others who stayed at the Airbnb also shared their experience with Solider. I took my family there in 2019 and his name is Soldier! He was partially blind and he hung out with us the whole time. The best Airbnb ever!" added @mlynch29.

Hannah provided a closer look at Soldier and more information about him in a follow-up TikTok, saying he spends time with guests at several Airbnbs on the property. "He just walks over to the rental properties to play with the guests," she explained. "Do you see the camera? You're famous!" Hannah says to Soldier in her follow-up video and he appears to be enjoying all the attention.

Soldier has even appeared in the feed of the long-running dog-centric social media account WeRateDogs, which posts amusing ratings of internet dogs on a frequently arbitrary 10-point scale. Soldier predictably received a score of 13 out of 10. It was captioned, "This is Soldier. He's a blind and deaf pup who helps host an Airbnb in Turks and Caicos.

When he has guests, he leads them to his favorite beach every morning. When he doesn't have guests, he goes back to his human's house down the street for family time. 13/10." Sailawaycottages, the owners of Soldier and the Airbnb Hannah stayed at, commented under the post, "Everyone leaves a message about our sweet boy in our guest books! He is a star and he doesn't even know it! He accepts treats as tour guide tips."