They Called This Deaf Dog “Broken.” Then He Changed Thousands of Lives | Cole the Deaf Dog

They called him “broken.” Chris Hannah saw something completely different. In 2017, elementary school music teacher Chris Hannah adopted Cole, a deaf pit bull puppy who had been passed over because of his disability. What happened next turned Cole into a nationally recognized therapy dog — and sparked a mission centered on acceptance, empathy and the idea that our differences can become our greatest strengths. Cole communicates through hand signals and American Sign Language and has spent years working with children, veterans and hospice patients. In 2023, he was named the ASPCA’s Dog of the Year. On this episode of Talking with Natasha, Chris and Cole join Natasha Verma to talk about their unlikely journey together, how you communicate with a dog who can’t hear, the children Cole has impacted, overcoming stereotypes around both deafness and pit bulls — and what Cole has taught Chris about being different.