What's the big issue about this pair, then?
In Chinese, the difference would not be so much that of /t/ vs /d/, but of /th/ vs /t/.
This is, both are voiceless stops, but the first one (th) is aspirated.
And yes, I admit it:
- Sometimes I forget the aspiration.
- If it wasn't enough, I live with 2 rabbits.
- In my mother tongue, conejo (rabbit) also refers to the **female reproductive organ**, so uttering "my rabbit aches" is embarrasingly ambiguous.