Sign In

Cole The Deaf Dog

May 7, 2020

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray issued an invite to Cole the Deaf Dog suggesting he pup over to the studio and appear on her show.

Cole and his human sidekick, Chris Hannah, fired up the Colemobile. The duo headed to New York City to spread their message of acceptance, a mission they launched two years ago at Mennies Elementary School.

The show taped just before Thanksgiving, but its air date continues to get shuffled with breaking news broadcasts cutting into the daytime television viewing schedule, Hannah said.

The segment is tentatively scheduled to air at 2 p.m May 7 on WPVI Channel 6.

Hannah, a music teacher, adopted Cole from the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter. He said he didn’t see the puppy’s deafness as a disability.

He saw Cole’s possibilities.

Now a certified-therapy dog, Cole is a classroom regular and motivated Hannah’s 250 students to collaborate on a writing assignment.

They transformed Cole and Hannah’s deaf nephew, Kevin Guinan, into comic book superheroes who join forces to encourage all students to be kind and accepting of others.

It’s usually Cole providing the comfort, but he got to enjoy some of his own during the two-day trip that included a swanky over-night stay in a hotel.

Before taping the show, they took a walking tour of the city and visited Macy’s, where Hannah carried Cole up the escalator.

“About 200 people whipped out their cellphones,” Hannah said, noting Cole attracted attention.

Register Your Dog

  • Most Recent News

    Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life

    When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]

    Read more

    Students Get Therapy Dog

    When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dogtor

    Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dog Pups

    When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]

    Read more

    Puppy Cams

    A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]

    Read more

    Pet Committee

    When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]

    Read more