Woman teaches her dog to speak - and pet pooch can now ask her husband to bring her food or give her a massage

Thanks to reality TV shows like Britain’s Got Talent, we’re all used to seeing animals do some weird and wonderful things you wouldn’t normally expect them to do.

Ashleigh Butler and her dog Pudsey were the first ever canine winning act of the ITV talent contest back in 2012 as the judges and public were equally amazed by Pudsey’s ability to walk on his hind legs and dance, among other things. Then, in this year’s series everyone was left confused but amazed by a singing cat called Noodle.

But, one woman has managed to do what we would all like to do with our beloved pets - teach them to speak. Sheena Shah has taught her Pomeranian Husky mix Sapphie to talk, and uses this to her advantage so she can ask her pooch to boss her husband Sunit around on her behalf. Sapphie, who is three-years-old, can tell him to bring her food and drinks and even ask him to give her a massage. Well, sort of.

Sheena, aged 31, trained Sapphie to communicate using interactive buttons. She has learnt to press the buttons and now uses them to tell Sunit, also 31, “mummy is hungry”, “pamper mummy” and “mummy water”.

The couple said they find it “so funny” to hear Sapphie “speak” and say she does it with “force and attitude”. Sheena, a physician assistant from San Diego, California, United States, said: “I think it’s so funny. She is so expressive. She presses them with force and attitude. It’s like she understands it.”

“It seems like she knows what she’s talking about”

Sheena and Sunit first bought Sapphire into their family in September 2020 and the pair, who are self-proclaimed dog lovers, say they now “include her in everything we 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 for Sapphie 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.”

The couple now practise with their pet for five to 10 minutes a day to ensure she continues to be able to press the buttons effectively. Sheena, who is due to give birth to the couple’s child in the coming days, has now started using the buttons as an entertaining way to get Sapphie to communicate with her husband.  She said: “I have been in bed. I’m able to say 'Sapphie, can you tell daddy this?' It’s so fun trying it out. He’s a good husband.”

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. “I think she is going to be so loving,” she said.

Sapphie has not only become an integral part of the Shah family, but she’s also inspired a book. Sheena wrote a children’s book called “Sapphie - the dog with feelings” because of her much adored pet. The book is about teaching children to take care of their mental health. She said: “Sapphie is the main character. Through her, we want to inspire others to take care of their mental health and know that they are not alone. With the book, I want to inspire the next generation to be self-expressive.”