Airbnb guest meets a blind dog who takes her on a daily beach adventure
“I would follow that dog anywhere it wanted to take me.”

Apparently, beach walks with Soldier are just part of this Airbnb experience.
While it might not be a huge surprise for an Airbnb host to show a guest around, no one would anticipate their local guide to be a friendly neighborhood dog. But this was a sweet, unexpected perk for Hannah Brown and her family.
Brown had booked a stay at Sail Away Cottages, nestled right along the coast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Little did she know that a surprise amenity would be morning guided walks to the beach, led by Soldier, a deaf and blind dog who lived on the property.
Brown posted a video of their daily ritual to TikTok, showing Soldier confidently strolling along the stone path, effortlessly moving through the sand and finally making it to the water for a refreshing dip.
Soldier quickly became famous online, as the video racked up over 12 million views with thousands praising his concierge skills.
“I would follow that dog anywhere it wanted to take me,” one person wrote.
Several even chimed in with their own experience of having Soldier as a tour guide. One person shared, “I took my family there in 2019…he hung out with us the whole time. Best Airbnb ever!” This pup has certainly earned a good reputation.
Watch Soldier in action below:
@notalabamahannah We get so scared that Soldier is going to fall off the front walkway every single time #airbnb #vacation ♬ Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Sail Away Cottages quickly hopped on Soldier’s virality to share his backstory, writing on their Instagram page that he arrived one afternoon with a pack of roaming feral dogs (as is customary for the area) on Canadian Remembrance Day, hence his name.
By the way—the mixed breed dogs found on the Turks & Caicos Islands are called potcakes. How adorable is that?
Although the other potcakes chose to leave the next morning, Soldier stayed. And in doing so, he gained not only a new home but a new brother named Skipper.
“This is how Soldier started his walks to the beach - he went every day after his morning walk with his brother Skipper for a quick cool down before the day starts 🐾” Sail Away Cottages wrote.
Skipper has sadly crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, but Soldier continues their tradition with each new friend he meets through Airbnb. Sail Away Cottages playfully notes that in addition to accompanying folks to the beach, he even “guards” their stuff. As much a blind, deaf dog could, anyway. He’s also quite fond of sitting in his new friends’ lap while in the water.
Needless to say, guests adore him.
If you’d like to try to book this good boy host, you can do so through Airbnb or directly through Sail Away Cottages.
To follow along on more of Soldier's adventures, you can find him on Instagram.
Plus follow Potcake Place K9 Rescue to learn about other potcake dogs just like Soldier who are still looking for a home (a resource shared by The Dodo).
- Airbnb co-founder gave a graduating class 2022 stocks in his company ›
- Airbnb host wakes his guest up in the middle of the night so she wouldn't miss the northern lights ›
- Painting stolen from Airbnb then swapped out for a new one ... ›
- Airbnb host ditches cleaning fees for her listings - Upworthy ›
- Elf helps deaf girl talk to Santa Claus - Upworthy ›
- As an Airbnb host, I hate cleaning fees and check-out chores - Upworthy ›
- Airbnb recreates floating house from Pixar's "Up" - Upworthy ›
- Blind and deaf dog still greets his owners every day - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.