Maya is a young rescue dog who is just over a year old. The only problem is that she doesn’t know she’s a dog at all! In fact, she seems to think she’s a four-legged human, so she often teaches herself new human skills. This includes watching tv, opening doors, and even holding grudges.
Her mom, Eleni Alafouzos, doesn’t know why her sweet dog behaves the way that she does, but she has happily embraced it over time. Maya’s just letting her true personality show. After all, every dog is unique in their own way!
Raising a Furry Human
When Maya was just a young puppy, she and her sibling were abandoned on the side of the road. Alafouzos fell in love with little Maya immediately, so she adopted her from Takis Shelter and brought her home. It is so hard to believe that someone would abandon such a special little pup.
At first, Maya just seemed like your everyday puppy. However, she’s incredibly smart, so she quickly picked up on her humans’ behaviors. She watched and learned from what they did, and soon, she thought she was a human too!
The first human skill that Maya seemed to master was opening a door. It took a lot of practice, but eventually, she learned to open doors without hesitation. Different types of doorknobs sometimes confuse her, but overall, she can open most doors in the house. However, she’s still trying to comprehend what is a door and what isn’t. She sometimes confuses the window for the patio door and gets frustrated when she can’t open it.
“She thinks she’s a human and that’s why she copies everything we do,” said Alafouzos.
Maya even sleeps just like a human. She has to have a blanket covering her body and her head has to be resting on a pillow. She has no interest in sleeping any other way.
She’s Learning Day by Day
The more time Alafouzos spends with her sweet pup, the more human traits Maya seems to have. Lately, she has even been watching TV. You can see the way her eyes look at the screen when something interesting is on. Then, when Alafouzos pauses the show, Maya loses interest. She also seems to have no interest in the news channel either.
This rescue pup’s emotions are also very human-like. If you do something to offend her, she’ll hold a grudge. She’ll give you dirty looks and even refuse to accept any apology treats from you, even if they’re her favorite. It’s almost frightening how much self-control she has. She’s probably even better at holding grudges than most people are.
“She’s very emotional. If you laugh at her, she’ll get upset. She’ll hold a grudge and she’ll stare you down,” said Alafouzos. “It kinda gets to you. I have to go with treats to apologize.”
But at the end of the day, Maya can’t deny that she loves her family. Like any good human, she knows how to apologize when she has overreacted. Plus, she also knows how to give the best hugs afterward. She might not be a perfect human just yet, but she’ll keep learning each and every day.
H/T: thedodo.com
Featured Image: Screenshots, thedodo.com
Toledo, United States.
