I can actually kinda vouch for this tbh!
I have a wee staffy and she is completely deaf … she cant hear us coming home from work at all but she can smell us, her wee nose goes ten to the dozen and looks about for us, now shes pretty good at time telling too hah, she knows when we are due home lol.
her nose is extremely sensitive, you could hide a biscuit inside ten boxes and tell her to find it and she would lol ?