Deaf Dog Thinks NFL Referee Is Signalling to Her, Follows His Commands [Video]

A deaf dog showed off her sign language skills when she responded to a referee’s hand signals on TV, going viral in the process.

Sara Ruth Zirm lives in Maryland with her pup Dory, a cross-breed she adopted from the Humane Rescue Alliance in January 2017 after doing research into caring for a deaf dog, and “immediately fell in love with her sweet face.”

Zirm told Newsweek that Dory, now 10, “knows a fair amount of American Sign Language, and regular dog signals, like sit and lay down—as well as referee hand signals, apparently.”

A video of Dory’s unusual talent has gone viral on TikTok, racking up over 600,000 likes since being shared to Zirm’s account @saraaaandipity on November 9.

It shows the dog staring “intently” at the television where an NFL game is playing, standing stock-still and barely blinking as the players rush past.

Until finally, the black-and-white stripes of the referee come on screen. …