Maine Woman Practices French to Parler to Pooch

When given commands in English, Leo might respond with the doggie equivalent of a Gallic shrug.

But if you speak to him in French, it’s a different story. The 26-pound terrier mix was adopted from a Paris pound and hasn’t learned English yet.

When Leo’s owner, Jennifer Morrill, 23, wants him to stop barking, she says “Arret!” not “Stop!” If she wants him to be quiet, she says, “Ferme ta gueule!” [Shut your muzzle].

College friends of Morrill adopted the brown-and-white dog while they were studying in France. Last year they brought Leo home with them to Connecticut but offered him to Morrill when they returned to college in New York City.

By coincidence, he wound up in central Maine in a city that was chosen as national headquarters of the Forum Francophone des Affaires, an international trade group of French-speaking countries.

Morrill is learning to live with Leo. He is forcing her to practice the French she learned in school, while she is slowly teaching him some English.

“They say dogs understand sounds [and not words], and I agree,” Morrill said. “But when you speak another language you change the way you’re speaking. All the sounds are different.”

Leo is catching on to some English commands, but it’s a slow process.

In the meantime, when Morrill takes him for a walk and he stops and sniffs as canines often do, it’s “Tout de suite,” not “Hurry up,” and “Viens” instead of “Come here.”