The video, viewed by nearly seven million people, captures the chatty Husky responding to his Italian-speaking owner with vocalisations that mirror her accent.
Italian accent
Social media users have been quick to express their amusement and surprise, with some joking that Aaron speaks better Italian than they do.
While the phenomenon may seem extraordinary, studies suggest there might be some truth to the idea that pets, like Aaron, can develop accents based on their owners’ speech.
The Canine Behaviour Centre in Cumbria conducted a study in 2000, recording and analysing dogs’ vocalisations. The results showed that dogs mimic the tone and pitch of their owners, creating a unique form of communication and strengthening the bond between humans and canines.
Animal vocalisations
Here's the remarkable clip of Aaron "talking" Italian:
This discovery isn’t exclusive to dogs; other animals, including birds, cows, sperm whales, orcas, humpbacks, singing gibbons, and rock hyraxes, have been reported to exhibit regional variations in their vocalisations.
From ‘Cockney’ mallard ducks in London to cows with West Country accents, it seems the animal kingdom may share a penchant for picking up distinctive sounds from their surroundings.
