Monica Matute, a dog lover who chronicles her foster rescues on TikTok, was having a hard time getting through to Nacho the Chihuahua until the moment she stopped giving him commands in English and switched to Spanish. In a viral video with over 14 million views, Matute casually asks Nacho “¿Qué pasó?” meaning “What happened?” and his pronounced ears immediately perked up as if to say “You speak my language!” She tried a few more phrases in Spanish including “Let’s go outside,” “Come on,” and “Want to eat?” and all of them got Nacho’s full attention, proving that studies showing dogs can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar languages are absolutely correct.
Once they spoke the same language their relationship blossomed, and the little Chihuahua helped change Matute’s opinion of his entire breed as she discovered he was the kind of dog who follows you everywhere, perfectly content being your shadow who loves to burrow into blankets. After spending a few weeks with Matute where he adjusted beautifully to home life, Nacho moved to the Oregon Humane Society in Portland and was adopted in less than 24 hours by Nancy Garza Harris and her husband Rick from Seattle. The couple changed his name to Rogelio Montoya as an homage to Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, though Garza Harris mostly calls him “Mijo” meaning “my son” in Spanish. Nacho’s story shows how making a small change in how we relate to pets and people can completely transform a relationship, serving as a beautiful reminder that when we make the effort to see others for who they are, beautiful things can happen.
