How this clever corgi learned how to understand sign language

By Ottilie Von Henning via SWNS

Meet the clever corgi that has learned how to interpret and imitate sign language.

Owner Derek Cassese, 36, got Eowyn when she was just a puppy 10 years ago.

He then met wife Emily Cassese, 32, six years ago, who is completely deaf and has been for the majority of her life

Derek and Emily were long-distance for the first two-and-a-half years of their relationship, during which Eowyn began to pick up on the fact that Emily can't hear.

But it's not until the couple moved in together three and half years ago that Eowyn really began to catch on.

Derek, a salesman based in Orlando, Florida, said: "Eowyn is fiercely intelligent, if not a little grumpy when peckish.

"She had begun to pick things up when Emily and I were long-distance and just visiting each other.

"For example, she wouldn't bark for Emily's attention but nudge her instead.

"She also stopped barking for her breakfast in the morning and started slamming against Emily's side of the bed so she'd feel it and wake up."

Emily has a cochlear implant but she rarely uses it so ASL is the primary language in the household.

Now Eowyn is able to understand some of her favorite words in sign language like dinner, ball and bone.

Derek said: "She will jump up and bark with excitement when she sees us signing those words.

"We've had to start spelling them out in sign language so she doesn't catch on!"

Derek himself had studied ASL at college, so when Emily revealed she was deaf when they first started talking online, it was no problem.

Derek said: "I think the fact that I already understood the majority of the language helped the whole transition.

"The fact that Eowyn could see me doing it helped her trust it and want to learn."

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