She couldn’t understand why her foster dog ignored every command — until one Spanish phrase changed everything and led him to his forever home

A foster woman noticed that the dog in her care seemed unable to follow even the most basic directions. She kept trying to guide him and could not understand why nothing worked, until one change in the way she spoke revealed the truth and shaped the rest of his journey. That moment became clear on October 1, 2025, when she shared a short clip on TikTok under the handle @themobtrio, showing how a single language shift opened the door to his new life.

As reported by ABC News on Thursday, November 13, 2025, the little Chihuahua named Nacho first appeared shy and untrained. His foster mom, Monica Matute, called to him in English but saw no reaction. Then she tried speaking in Spanish, and as if a switch had flipped, he instantly brightened. “I had not thought of asking him anything in Spanish, which is ironic since he's a Chihuahua,” she told the news channel.

In the video, the dog’s eyes welled up when the foster mom said, "Vamos afuera?" which means, "Wanna go outside?" When she said simple phrases like “Vamos,” meaning "Let's go!" in Spanish, Nacho jumped off the bed with his tail wagging, signaling that he understood the command to go outside. The calm dog they thought did not know any commands was only waiting to hear the language he understood. "He's crying," Matute said in the video while talking to Nacho. 

Matute continued caring for him and soon learned more about his nature. She described him as a gentle dog who kept close and liked quiet company. “He’s the kind of dog that will follow you everywhere, and is perfectly content just being your shadow,” she shared in an Instagram video. Nacho had first been found wandering near the Wags and Walks adoption center in Los Angeles, where he stayed for several days in September. From there, he was transferred to a shelter in Portland, Oregon. With the language barrier gone, his personality became clear, and Matute revealed more about him as he waited for a permanent home. That home arrived when Nancy Garza-Harris and her husband, Rick, drove three hours from Seattle to meet him. Their first moment together was simple and certain. “Rick sat on a bench, and he jumped up into Rick’s lap, and it was like, ‘Okay, well, that’s that,’” she told the outlet.

After the adoption, Garza-Harris renamed him Rogelio Montoya, inspired by a character from "The Princess Bride," but she mostly calls him “mi hijo,” meaning "my son." Thanks to one shift in language and a few kind people, the once-quiet dog found a family who understood him. Many internet users were also moved by the viral TikTok clip and left warm messages in the comment section. @elizabethpepperphd recounted, "We thought one of our rescue dogs was deaf because he just ignored us all the time when we spoke to him. Then our Spanish-speaking friends came over, and that’s how we discovered he understood Spanish. So we all learned Spanish. He opened up to us so much more." @aaiylinnn commented, "He finally heard familiar words." @aziamendez wrote, "This whole time he didn’t have anyone to talk to." 

For more endearing dog content, follow @themobtrio on TikTok.