Some may find it a curious fact that our dog speaks Chinese. We discovered this one day when one of us repeated a phrase we heard on tv: "shi shi". We used DJ's nickname Furse (pron. 'Fur-Sah'-- see blog #1), and said, "hey Furse, shi shi!" He responded just as he had to the phrase when it came from the tv speakers: with a cocked head and curious penetrating gaze. As if to say, "What was that? Go out? Now?"
We laughed and tried it again. My knowledge of Chinese is limited one lesson I had in the 9th grade when I learned to say "Ni How Mah? (How are you?) Heahn-How! (I'm fine!)" and also the fact that tones change the meaning of the word—even one syllable can mean something completely different when said with a different lilt.
So, "Furse, shi shi!" became "Shi shiii? Furse?" and "Furse! shi SHI!" Every time he responds, looking at us with an "I'm on it!" or "You got it!" or "Really?" look on his face.
Hence we gradually became convinced that if we speak fake-Chinese to him, surely he must understand the real thing. After all, it's said that dogs can comfortably comprehend up to 200 commands. If this is true, we're on our way. Any suggestions for the next phrase in Mandarin?
post script: If this inspires you to write a children's book with this idea, don't even bother—get a snack and watch the NASCAR Pocono 500 instead. One of the world's most adorable books ever has already been written on the topic . I discovered it a couple months after we realized DJ speaks Chinese. Where? in the gift shop of Portland, Oregon's Chinese garden of course. What a find! Check it out for yourself:
And while you're virtually visiting Portland, check out the gardens!
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