Seven-month-old chihuahua Bambi is not like any ordinary dog. Bambi was an unlucky puppy that was born deaf. Already a challenge to own and care for an animal, a deaf dog seemed impossible, but Bambi’s owner Olivia Marks did not give up.

If humans can learn sign language, why not dogs? Bambi was taught sign language from the get go in order to do tricks and understand basic commands. This takes much patience and hard work to teach a puppy how to interact through signs. With much practice and many treats and rewards, Bambi started to get the tricks down.

“I mean, I really like dogs. I think this is ground breaking for all dogs everywhere,” said Antioch Community High School senior Cole Rieke.

Bambi performs many tricks, and after she completes them, she is rewarded with a treat and a thumbs up.

“I think the video was inspiring to see how smart animals can be and how they have evolved that they can learn something that is difficult for humans to learn. I think with proper training and patience, it’s possible for any dog to learn sign language,” said junior Lauren Slack.

Bambi caught on relatively easily and now walks among other dogs no differently and is able to do just as many tricks and cool activities.

“For the most part, we use American sign language (ASL). He’s learning quickly and knows a few other signs that I did not show in the video,” said Marks to Time Magazine.

This shows to all pet owners and animal lovers that teaching a dog tricks and having fun with your dog is not as hard as some may think. As for Bambi, being deaf is not a setback, but a different route to interact and be closer with her owner.