Four-legged friend Nalani from Uden was in the news last year, because she was able to distinguish 141 toys from each other. Her achievements were even recognized by the university in Budapest, after which the dog made her appearance in TV shows such as Jinek in the Netherlands. The nine-year-old dog passed away two weeks ago, says her owner Sonja de Laat.
According to Sonja, the border collie was put to sleep because she turned out to be allergic to the epilepsy medication she was given. “She was itching all the time, biting and scratching herself all the time. Two weeks ago she even had a 25 centimeter wound. A dog shouldn’t suffer that much. That is no longer life.”
Nalani caused a furore during the Genius Dog Challenge in 2021, organized by the University of Budapest. The aim is to teach and remember words by dogs. In addition, owners had to have their dogs memorize names of toys in one week. Dogs had to bring the correct toy to their owner when it was mentioned.
“She picked up all the toys very quickly.”
The border collie turned out to be a true genius. In the end, she was able to tell apart as many as 141 toy names. Something owner Sonja was proud of. It started very early, Sonja previously told Omroep Brabant. “It started with three or four toys. She picked it up very quickly and that was the most fun.” For Nalani’s world achievements, the Einstein of the Dogs received certificates and even a gold medal.
The death of the dog has stirred up a lot, even among people who Sonja does not know. “After the cremation, we received dozens of cards and bunches of flowers. That does us good.”
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