Guy teaches his dog to say "Obama."

Herpe, the unfortunately-named but very talented "Obama Dog." Video Link. (thanks, Brandon Elkins)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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jrucifer

this thread makes me want to cuddle with my pup in my unkempt bed.

but nope, definitely not ‘Obama’
Dave Parker

Not as good as the UK classic – Prince the “sausages” dog.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15669521
Justin Ried

That’s cute, but not quite as convincing as the dog that says “I love you” at the beginning of Sure Shot by the Beastie Boys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5GXj1jwb1U
ekricyote

Next we’ll be seeing talking dogs saying this:

“Prince Alexander of Daventry, I presume. I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with your country, but I’m sure Vizier Alhazared will want to meet you, if indeed you are a friend of the princess. Please, follow me.”
five

now if only we can teach a moose to say “palin”…
Irene Delse

In other doggie news, Cute Overload The Takeway are doing a vitally important poll: who should be the First Puppy!

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/11/first-puppy-pol.html

There’s even a kitteh, natch.
Amaranth666

“All that time and talent to teach his dog to talk and video it, and he can’t make his bed. Tch. Priorities some people have…”

To be fair, it’s not really my bed, it’s his. And I still haven’t been able to teach him to make the damn thing in the morning…so it goes!
kstrike155

……… bwahahahahaha that’s awesome.
Amaranth666

“this dog’s owner is a pig. what a mess!”

Thank you for your constructive and insightful comments on my bedroom.
mmbb

we can do “the innuendo,”
we can dance and sing,
when it’s said and done we haven’t told you a thing,
we all know that crap is king.
Give us dirty laundry!
-Don Henley
darryl ohrt

H shld tch tht dg t d lndry, nstd. Wht mss.
mxaxm

I know Herpe is getting all the press, but I prefer Kerrington’s version of “Obama.” You decide…

http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/the_obamas_dog/2008/11/say-obama-kerrington.html
Kay the Complainer

It sounds a lot more like “Obama” the second time you listen. Sort of a Scooby Doo-esque Obama.

One of my dogs can quite clearly say “hound” (though unfortunately not on command), and one of the cats in our old neighbourhood could say “Hello”.

Kudos to Brandon and his dog. Housework is way overrated – I don’t think anyone ever lay on their deathbed thinking, “I’m had a great and satisfying life, but goddammit, I wish I’d kept the bathroom cleaner.”
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

The first person who mentioned Amaranth’s unmade bed was just missing the point and being a tad rude. I attach no particular blame to the authors of subsequent mentions; they just aren’t comments that need to be here.

Takuan — ChelseaBites posted that same message in three different threads. That’s not blogwhoring; it’s outright spam.

LaurenO @19: I didn’t quite catch the tone on that?

Amaranth: Dorothy Parker supposedly had a bird she named Onan, because he spilled his seed upon the ground.

Video: a talking cat. Try to ignore the laugh track.
Anonymous

I don’t think anyone ever lay on their deathbed thinking, “I’m had a great and satisfying life, but goddammit, I wish I’d kept the bathroom cleaner.”

They might if the reason they’re on their deathbed is a nasty contagion picked up from an unsanitary faucet.
Takuan

millennium hand and shrimp!
Amaranth666

Thanks Kay. I love how the BB community is so concerned with my housekeeping skills. Thanks for your thoughts, I’ll try to get around to cleaning up after I teach Herpe to say “Xeni”.
danwarning

@29 yeah, my cat says hello in a totally effeminate way (like a sort of “yoohooooo”) which is hysterical until you hear him in a different part of the house when you’re home alone and think someone else is there. it’s like carson from queer eye is upstairs redecorating my closet all of a sudden!
OneTonTomato

hrd “H’s rdstrbtr!”
Amaranth666

Wow Xeni, that’s fast response there. Thanks for putting Herpe on BoingBoing!

-Brandon
DanaHarris

I love Obama and dogs, but I thought it sounded more like he was saying “redrum.”
Belac

So would this be “Bark Obama”?
IamInnocent

Did he learn to vote too ?

Xeni, were you, in another life, a circus three ring master?
alisong76

SOonds like “ro RO ro” to me, but my Canine isn’t all that fluent…
arrghiamapirate

Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator. Nope, what I care for is the mental health of Boing-ummunity. It is like watching the engineers on the Manhattan Project hanging out behind the 7-11 giving themselves brain freeze. It is fascinating for two minutes and then it’s just sad.
Talking dog or dog making the sounds thousands of years of evolution and 50 years of dog food science make it make, who really cares?
Oh, I get it it is topical because it say Obama.
Well then you should see my cat, it says “who cares”.
I’m in with Takuan, I raise you a Buggerit.
Rob Cruickshank

For years I’ve been offending people with the joke “Why did the guy name his dog Herpes? Because it wouldn’t heel”.
I don’t care if the dog can talk, I’m just glad that someone actually named a dog that.
The Tensor

SOonds like “ro RO ro” to me

He must be an X-men fan.
Wigwam Jones

All that time and talent to teach his dog to talk and video it, and he can’t make his bed. Tch. Priorities some people have…
jowlsey

‘m wth Wgwm. Instead of spending time on mundane house work, the dog’s owner chooses to spend his time teaching his dog esoteric tricks.

Talking dogs FTW!
Lulu and LoLLy

We’re two Maltese dogs, and we say Two Paws Up for this video. Your PaLs, LuLu and LoLLy
Jerril

I could hear the sine-wave voice (with prompting). I’m afraid I can’t hear “Obama”, or even a scoobydo-ish “rorama”.

I wonder if that means I’m an Aspie ^.^
SDZion

I, for one, am frickin’ astounded.
Takuan

dignity, always dignity
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y233/BrigidsBlest/219nrb5.gif
noen

I loath bananas.
Amaranth666

“For years I’ve been offending people with the joke “Why did the guy name his dog Herpes? Because it wouldn’t heel”.
I don’t care if the dog can talk, I’m just glad that someone actually named a dog that.”

Wow…I’ve never even heard that joke. We named him that because we thought it’d be funny…

Supposedly Herpe’s “Obama Dog” video will be on MTV Live in Canada today. Any Canadian BB’ers wanna let me know if it actually happens?
noen

BTW, the clear english you hear toward the end of the clip is coming from the human not the dog.
Anonymous

I like turtles.
scarello

All I heard was: “Leave me alone human. I was not put on this earth to perform your stupid tricks!”
Phikus

Onetontomato@32: FTW!

I haven’t been able to teach my cats to say anything, but one of them meows like the alarm on the Enterprise that is sounded when a shuttle is coming into the bay. I know. -Too obscure for Stupid Pet Tricks. ;D
joemescher

I bet ‘McGruder’ from SNL fame taught him how to speak.

“Hey, McGruder, you have to teach this dog to say ‘Obama’ or we’re done for!”
xopl

HERPE! You know I don’t speak Spanish!

What’s that? You ate an entire wheel of cheese?

And you pooped in the refrigerator?!

I’m not even mad. Frankly that’s impressive.
arrghiamapirate

Who cares?
- Antinous
  
  Did you mean “Rho Rhares?”
Wigwam Jones

@ #11 arrghiamapirate

Who cares?

I do. Talking dogs. One of the signs of the Dogpocalypse. Un-made beds, another. Apathy, the third. We’re on the eve of destruction, as Barry McGuire taught us.
colonel gentleman

Does the dog know the countries that comprise NAFTA? That Africa is a continent? We may have a position on the 2012 ticket…
Takuan

chel; don’t site spam us please
danwarning

hey Amaranth666, don’t feel bad about the “pig” comment, i posted a video of one of my cats in the shower for my girlfriend and some blogger grabbed it and of course one of the comments was exactly the same (and misinformed as well):

http://nycbabylon.blogspot.com/2006/02/youtube-is-new-flickr_08.html
Anonymous

italian Berlusconi about Obama: “young, beautiful and tanned…
http://www.repubblica.it/2008/11/sezioni/esteri/italia-obama/italia-obama/italia-obama.html
Amaranth666

Trust me, I don’t feel bad about any comments. What I do feel bad for are people that can’t just relax a little bit and have some fun with a video of my dog saying something that maybe, remotely, sorta sounds like Obama. Chill out ppl, and stop worrying about my bedroom. I like being a pig, thank you.
straponego

It seems like “Barack” would have been easier.
rasz

its like that sine-wave speech thingie, you KNOW what the dog is supposed to bark, thats the only reason you think you hear it
MadFist

Dog: “Sweet Jeebus, man! I’ll sing the National Anthem if you’ll just make our bed!”
tomioka

When I see clips like this, I can’t help thinking of this animated real talking dog: (You need to understand German to get the joke, though…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJkd86i3PgM
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Arrghiamapirate @11: Dear poseur, if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t post a comment.
Lauren O

Arrghiamapirate @11: Dear poseur, if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t post a comment.

Oh shiiiiiiit!
Daemon

Wow. He taught his dog to make generic dog noises, that don’t sound remotely like obama except for having the same number of what I shall call “syllables” for lack of a better word.
Evil Jim

Not quite.
klaradox

the title should be, “Guy really stoned hears as if his dog was saying Obama, and makes people hear the same by using simple psychology.”
Hanglyman

I second Daemon. Unless it sounds very different in person than on video, it’s not even remotely like “Obama”. Not that I mind, I’ll happily watch anything with a dog in it. :)
el_beardo

ths dg’s wnr s pg. wht mss!