{"id":363983,"date":"2026-06-17T07:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/363983\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T07:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:49:16","slug":"san-diego-woman-rescues-dog-and-is-shocked-when-she-hears-spanish-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/363983\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego woman rescues dog and is shocked when she hears Spanish for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michelle Ost stopped by the San Diego<\/a> Humane Society\u2019s clear-the-shelter event in October 2025 and didn\u2019t think she\u2019d leave with a dog<\/a>. But then she noticed Honey, and the connection was real.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney was in one of the very last rows of dogs<\/a>, and I went to her immediately. She got up\u2014she was lying down\u2014and walked over and licked my fingers through the little railing,\u201d she said on TikTok<\/a>. \u201cWhen I got up to leave and go to the next dog, I felt sad, and I hadn\u2019t felt sad with any of the other dogs. So I was like, clearly there\u2019s a heart connection<\/a> there if I\u2019m feeling sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honey and Ost have a breakthrough moment while on a walk<\/p>\n

Ost adopted<\/a> Honey, and the two quickly became companions, but they grew even closer one day after going on a walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I was out walking her one day, and we walked by a group of people who were speaking Spanish, and she lit up. She got so excited. She was like, \u2018Oh my gosh, my people, mi gente.\u2019 She recognized the language right away and tried to go to them,\u201d Ost said. \u201cI don\u2019t know why I didn\u2019t think of it earlier to try to do Spanish commands with her because she\u2019s from Mexico, so duh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honey had been found as a stray on the streets of Mexico and brought across the border to the San Diego Humane Society. So, of course, she understood Spanish.<\/p>\n

When the pair got home, Ost began giving Honey commands in Spanish, including \u201csi\u00e9ntate\u201d (sit) and \u201cven ac\u00e1\u201d (come here), and Honey knew exactly how to respond.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got home, I tried a couple of commands, which the video is a result of,\u201d she told Newsweek<\/a>. \u201cThat was my very first time trying the commands in Spanish, and she immediately listened!\u201d<\/p>\n

A video of Honey and Ost breaking through the language barrier went viral on TikTok, earning more than 2.3 million views. It also inspired a number of commenters to react as if they were Honey:<\/p>\n

\u201cDog: \u2018She learned how to speak!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDog : \u2018Your dialect is bad, but good enough\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Finally!! I thought they were stupid!\u2019 \u2013 Your dog\u201d<\/p>\n

Can dogs tell the difference between human languages?<\/p>\n

Given that most dogs have a pretty limited vocabulary of human words, it\u2019s surprising to learn that they can tell the difference between languages.<\/p>\n

A 2022 study<\/a> by E\u00f6tv\u00f6s Lor\u00e1nd University found that dogs\u2019 brains exhibit different activity patterns when they hear familiar versus unfamiliar languages. \u201cThis study showed for the first time that a non-human brain can distinguish between two languages,\u201d Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez-P\u00e9rez, a co-author of the study, said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the end, it\u2019s wonderful that Ost and Honey have found each other and can communicate in a common language.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has just been the sweetest, most loving dog I have ever known,\u201d Ost said in a TikTok video. \u201cI\u2019ve had dogs my whole life. I\u2019ve interacted with dogs my whole life, and I\u2019ve never met a dog like her. She has the biggest heart. She\u2019s just my big baby. She\u2019s my big baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post San Diego woman rescues dog and is shocked when she hears Spanish for the first time<\/a> appeared first on Upworthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n