When devastating floodwaters came rushing toward communities in Nepal, one family knew they needed to get to safety. There was just one heartbreaking problem: their deaf dog, Sweetie, could not hear them calling her. Sweetie’s family was forced to leave without knowing what would happen to the dog who had shared their lives for years. As water, mud, and debris devastated communities along the Trishuli River, they could only hope that somehow Sweetie would survive.
Days later, Shoba Shrestha returned to the flood-ravaged area looking for her dog. Against incredible odds, Sweetie was there, and the quiet reunion between the two offered one small moment of relief amid an overwhelming tragedy.
Sweetie Couldn’t Hear Her Family Calling
Sweetie lived with her family in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, one of the areas devastated by the catastrophic August floods. When the disaster approached, the family tried to get their dog to move to safety with them.
Sweetie is deaf, however, which made an already terrifying situation even more difficult. Shrestha later explained that they tried calling for her, but Sweetie could not hear them and would not leave. With the flood approaching, the family ultimately had to escape without her. They left not knowing whether Sweetie would find somewhere safe or whether they would ever see her again.
The disaster unfolding around them gave them every reason to fear the worst. Entire communities were being transformed as powerful floodwaters swept through homes, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.
A Wall of Water Changed Everything
The August 26 disaster began when an enormous mass of glacial ice and rock collapsed high in the Himalayas near the Nepal-China border. The collapse generated a devastating debris flow and flash flood that traveled downstream through the Trishuli river system.
Water, mud, rocks, and debris tore through communities with tremendous force. Thousands of people were left dead or missing, while survivors were forced to evacuate as homes and familiar landscapes disappeared beneath mud and debris.
Nuwakot was among the districts affected by the flooding. As rescue operations continued, some residents began returning to devastated neighborhoods to see what could be salvaged and to search for those they had been forced to leave behind. For Shrestha, that meant going back for Sweetie. She had escaped the flood, but part of her family was still somewhere inside the disaster zone.
Shoba Returned Looking for Sweetie
Associated Press reporters documented residents returning to damaged homes in Nuwakot as the flood response continued. Among them was Shrestha, who had come back looking for the dog she had been forced to leave behind when the water arrived. Then came the moment she had been hoping for. Sweetie had survived.
Footage of their reunion does not need a dramatic celebration to convey what it meant. Shrestha can be seen sitting on the ground beside Sweetie, gently petting her and giving the dog water from a bottle.
After days of uncertainty, Sweetie was once again within reach. In a region where so many families were still searching for loved ones, simply being able to sit beside her dog and care for her again was something extraordinary.
The reunion was also bittersweet for the family. Reporting on Sweetie’s story says another dog belonging to the family did not survive the disaster, making Sweetie’s return a moment of comfort amid tremendous loss.
How Deaf Dogs Navigate a Hearing World
Sweetie’s story highlights an additional challenge families with deaf dogs can face during an emergency. A hearing dog may respond to a shouted name, verbal command, alarm, approaching vehicle, or other sound signaling that something is wrong, while a deaf dog relies on different ways of understanding the people and environment around them.
Deaf dogs can live happy, active lives and learn many of the same behaviors as hearing dogs. Families commonly communicate with them using hand signals, visual cues, body language, touch, and other consistent signals the dog has learned to recognize.
Emergency situations can be particularly difficult because people instinctively rely so heavily on sound. Teaching reliable visual cues, keeping identification information current, and having a secure leash or carrier readily available can help families prepare for situations in which they may need to evacuate quickly with a deaf pet.
Some disasters, however, unfold with a speed and force that overwhelm even careful preparation. Sweetie’s family tried to bring her with them, but when she could not hear their calls and would not follow, they were faced with an impossible situation as the flood approached.
One Reunion Amid Enormous Loss
Sweetie’s survival cannot erase what her family and community endured. Their other dog reportedly did not survive, while throughout the flood zone, thousands of people have faced the loss of relatives, homes, businesses, animals, and entire communities.
Across Nuwakot and other devastated areas, residents have returned to mud-filled neighborhoods looking for whatever remains. Rescue teams have continued searching through debris while families wait for news about people who are still unaccounted for.
Against that backdrop, the sight of Shrestha sitting beside Sweetie feels especially powerful. There is no elaborate celebration in the reunion, just a woman gently touching the dog she feared she had lost and offering her a bottle of water after their frightening separation.
Sweetie could not hear her family calling when the flood came, but somehow she survived until they could find each other again. After days of uncertainty and unimaginable destruction, one family was finally able to hold onto a little piece of what they thought the flood might have taken from them forever.
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