The short clip, posted on TikTok by Lexi Lee, shows the dog mum picking up her fur baby from doggy daycare. Then, the pooch, who is safely strapped into the back seat of the car, suddenly starts whining.
Did my dog just say something?
It's the kind of whine that every dog owner recognises. It's the sound that says, "I want something, and this noise isn't going to stop until I get it!" Luckily, Lexi knows precisely what her pooch wants- a nice cool breeze on the drive home! "Are you excited? You want the window down a little bit?" asks Lexi.
And that's when things get weird. Because the dog does want the window down. In fact, he tells his mum as much with a whine that sounds like the affirmation: "Mhmmm!"
Lexi was shocked! But had she imagined the whole thing? She decided to share the video on TikTok to get a second opinion, ending up with over 1,000 of them. And many of the comments confirmed her suspicions. One user wrote: "I heard 'just a little'," while another posted: That dog just spoke English."
What would you and your dog talk about?
Canine behaviourists agree that barking evolved as a way for dogs to communicate with humans. So, have we just witnessed the next stage of canine communication? Will we be having full-on conversations with our dogs in ten years? Let's hope so!
