A woman says she taught her dog to "speak" so the pooch can boss her husband around.
Sheena Shah, 31, taught her Pomeranian Husky mix, Sapphire, three, to communicate through interactive buttons.
She says furry friend tells her hubby to bring her food, drinks and give her a massage.
READ MORE: AI tech could allow humans to talk to dogs and work like Google Translate for pets
Sapphie has learnt to press the buttons and uses them to tell Sheena’s husband, Sunit, 31, a physician, “mummy is hungry”, “pamper mummy” and “mummy water”.
The couple find it “so funny” and say Sapphire does it with “force and attitude”.
Sheena, a physician assistant and author of Sapphie – the dog with feelings, from San Diego, California, US, said: “I think it’s so funny, she is so expressive.
“She presses the buttons with force and attitude – it's like she understands it.”
Sheena and Sunit got Sapphire in September 2020 and the dog lovers “include her in everything [they] do”.
Sheena said: “She comes on trips, dates and we take her to theatres that allow dogs.
“She walked down the aisle at our wedding.”
Sheena was browsing for interactive toys when she found the training buttons and decided to give them a go.
Sapphire learnt to push a button and would then get a treat as a reward.
Sheena slowly started adding buttons so Sapphie could learn to say more.
She said: “It seems like she knows what she’s talking about. She’s very smart.”
Sheena – who is 37 weeks pregnant – has started using the buttons as a funny way to get Sapphie to communicate with her husband.
The couple practice for five to 10 minutes a day with her.
She said: “I have been in bed and I'm able to say 'Sapphie, can you tell daddy this?'
“It’s so fun trying it out.
“He’s a good husband.”
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Sheena said Sapphie has already been “very protective” of her while she has been pregnant and can’t wait for her to meet their unborn son.
She commented: “I think she is going to be so loving.
“Sapphie is the main character.”
Sheena is also passionate about mental health and want to inspire others to take care of themselves through Sapphie.
She wrote a children’s book called Sapphie – the dog with feelings.
“Through Sapphie, we want to inspire others to take care of their mental health and know that they are not alone," said Sheena.
“With the book, I want to inspire the next generation to be self-expressive."
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