A clever, old dog has learned a new trick as he’s hellbent on getting someone to love him.
Reggie has picked up sign language and already knows eight words.
The six-year-old crossbreed was born deaf and then his previous owner died.
READ MORE: Naughty cat caught red-handed flooding owner’s flat
- Advertisement -
The mourning mutt has been in kennels for three months.
But he has amazingly grasped the new skill so he can understand potential new owner’s commands.
Smart Reggie now understands signals for ‘good boy’, ‘hi’, ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘paw’, ‘come’, ‘drop’ and ‘wait’.
It proves wrong the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Next, he is going to learn the one for ‘sleep’ which will be his cue to go to bed, as reported on What’s The Jam.
- Advertisement -
He is currently being looked after at the Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford & District Branch, in Halifax, West Yorks.
Claire Kendall, Animal Centre Manager, said: “Reggie reads our hand signals and body language as a way of telling what we’re asking him for.
“For example, thumbs up means ‘good boy’. He already knows hi, sit, down, paw, come, drop and wait.
- Advertisement -
“And he’s currently learning the BSL signal for sleep – which will be his cue to go to bed.”
She added: “We ensure his training is done in a calm environment with no distractions and the sessions are kept short and fun, with lots of tasty treats as rewards.
“Reggie is a very clever dog and he’s picked it up like a pro.
“He’s a wonderful example of just how resilient animals can be.
“We’re really hoping there’s someone out there who’ll be able to devote the time to continuing his training and give this wonderful boy an amazing life.”
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “His previous owner had sadly passed away.
“It’s thought the cross breed dog was probably born deaf because of his receptive nature to hand signals, movement and light.”
READ MORE: Man reunited with dog EIGHT years after pet goes missing
