Have You Met Hazel and Rio, the Adorable Baby-Dog Duo From TikTok?
Hazel and Rio / Instagram
If you're looking to add an extra dose of cuteness to your daily scroll through TikTok, look no further: 17-month-old Hazel and her Siberian husky sidekick Rio are about to become your newest Internet obsession.
The duo's rise to TikTok fame originated when mom Jen Koll downloaded the app during the pandemic (like pretty much all of us, TBH) and decided to start posting quick clips of her daughter's daily life to the app for fun. Though those posts were certainly adorable, Koll tells Daily Paws it wasn't until she uploaded a sweet TikTok video detailing the loss of the family's former husky, Izzy, and the process of bringing home their new puppy Rio that their account really started to get noticed.
"I just did a short clip on Izzy passing and bringing Rio home, and it took off like crazy," Koll says. "I didn't even have followers at the time."
That fact has certainly changed as the duo—which you can find under the name @hazelandrio on TikTok—now has over 108,000 followers and has accumulated over 4 million likes across all of their precious videos.
Although every dog is different and it's important to never leave a child and a dog together unattended, Koll says 9-month-old Rio's calm temperament makes her the perfect match for little Hazel.
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"I have never had a puppy who could distinguish when to cut off that puppy energy when around a baby," Koll says. "Rio will go romp around with other pets and have that energetic puppy moment and then she'll come over to Hazel and still have that energy, but it's a gentler approach. They really are just glued to each other."
The account details Hazel and 9-month-old Rio taking on the world together while navigating everything from crazy car rides to cuddles before bedtime, and of course the duo's favorite activity: snack time.
"We always joke snack time is their favorite time because Rio knows that there's going to be food left on the ground that she can just scoop right up," Koll says.
Above all, Koll says her favorite part of sharing Hazel and Rio on TikTok is all of the support they've received from their many followers.
"It was really neat to see people saying 'these made my day,'" Koll says. "Just knowing that someone really is feeling love through these two makes us feel good. We can share a little bit of our home life and make someone else happy."
What can you expect to see from Hazel and Rio going forward? Koll says, days at the lake, long walks, and the arrival of a new baby brother this October. We can't wait to see this darling duo become a trio!
