She discovered her foster dog's real name — his precious reaction speaks to how much dogs remember

Dogs have 'intentional memory' that records everything important to them.

PUBLISHED 20 HOURS AGO

(L) Smiling woman listening to music through wireless headphones, carrying a dog in the garden; (R) Running chihuahua dog. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Westend 61; (R) Anita Kot)

For the ones who think that dogs aren’t self-aware, they need to witness this canine exuding happiness only because he heard his original name. The 14-year-old Chihuahua was named Stern Grove by his current foster parent, Lisa. And just a day after she adopted him, the dogs' last animal shelter shared some important details. In the extended information, lay a different name for her new dog. Lisa, who goes by @allthefosterpups on Instagram, shared a video of Grove’s excitement when she asked him, "Is your name Thumper?"

A chihuahua lying down on woman's legs. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kohei Hara — A chihuahua lying down on woman's legs. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kohei Hara)

Lisa runs an online community of senior foster dogs, in an attempt to provide a beautiful life in their last few years. She got Stern Grove, who is now famously known as Thumper from Muttville, a senior dog rescue shelter in San Francisco. This Chihuahua was her 100th foster dog, which makes him even more special. She shared in the video that Grove’s instant reaction on being called upon as Thumper, proves his remarkable memory. He ran along and jumped around her when she announced, "Thumper." The excited dog is available for adoption, and until then, he will spend time creating more cherishable memories. The video posted on July 7 received 100k views on Instagram.

A small white Chihuahua doing the "shame on you" trick. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Anita Kot)

Thumper has led a hard life, as he was abandoned twice at an animal shelter in Oakland. As he aged, he moved to a senior rescue shelter, which avoided his possible visit to the Rainbow Bridge. The dog was meant to find Lisa, just to be a walking example of the fact that canines have a sharp memory. According to the Science Adviser, animals have episodic memory in order to sustain their survival. They remember certain events and things in their life that are vital for their existence. Now, name-calling might not be as crucial as remembering the spot of hidden food. But a study conducted by Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest tested 17 dog owners to determine their pets' cognitive abilities to various sounds.

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The study was focused on a common dog trick of “do as I do” which challenged the canines in strange situations to check their memory. 33 out of 35 dogs revealed remembering everything and marked that they have memory almost exactly like humans. Plus, one more significant similarity came up, showing that dogs can also have intentional memory just like us. The dogs could remember a particular event or hold a memory closer if their brain marked it as significant, like remembering one's original name. It’s all the game of “intentional recording,” said Claudia Fugazza, an ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University and the study's lead author.

Chihuahua running in grass. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Hillary Kladke — Chihuahua running in grass. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Hillary Kladke)

Fugazza said it was astounding to find that intentional memory was not exclusive to humans. The concept of intentional memory is exactly like you remembering your first kiss more clearly than the hug you received last week from your spouse or anybody else, she emphasized. The researcher pointed out that this is a continuous research and the next population would be of marine animals. Watching Thumper running along in the garden, only because he heard his original name, will make many of us grin.