Dog Uses Alexa To Play His Favorite Songs—and It’s All Captured on Pet Cam

A dog, who uses buttons to communicate, has found a new favorite to press that quickly melted people’s hearts and captured the attention of a band.

Growing in popularity in recent years, pet parents have been sharing on social media how their dogs “talk” to them through pressing specific buttons on a soundboard. These words can range from “outside” when a dog needs to go, or they can sometimes piece together buttons to form a phrase such as “I love you.”

Newsweek previously reported that a study found dogs do, in fact, understand and use soundboard buttons to produce contextually appropriate responses. Canines are not just reacting to cues from their owners. They are processing the words and responding by pressing the correct button.

But one Beagle, Jude, took the buttons to the next level by using them to play music. His owner, Michelle Marotta, told Newsweek that she created a new button that asks Alexa to play “Jude’s music” about a month ago, and since then, it’s been his favorite to use.

She said the reason why she made this button was because Jude would press a few buttons together that would say “ear want” or “sound want.” It took her weeks to realize he tried asking for music, a relaxing technique she introduced to him since he was a “rambunctious puppy.”

Now, the dog will press the button asking Alexa to play “Jude’s playlist” throughout the day. He’ll use it to settle down on the couch or look out the window.

Jude will start the music in the morning as Marotta is getting ready for work. He’ll even do it while she’s watching TV, forcing her to pause the screen so he can get his listening session in before bed.

In an Instagram video posted earlier this week to the account @heyjudethebeagel, a pet camera captured Jude walking over to the soundboard, pressing the exact button he needed to speak to Alexa. And once his music began, he jumped on the couch, cozying himself for much-needed relaxation. It’s become his routine when he’s alone.

During this recent song request, Alexa misheard the button and played the band Juice instead, which happens on occasion. But the confusion led Marotta to a new band she enjoys.

“I like it more than his playlist,” she said. “…Jude found a new favorite artist for me.”

And with over 1 million views on Instagram, the video led Juice to Jude.

Two members of the band, Ben and Christian, told Newsweek the timing for this video and exposure to new listeners couldn’t be better, as they’re creating a new project expected to be released in the next few months.

“It’s really nice to see that it was this that drove people to our music,” they said, especially as animal lovers themselves. “All we can be is thankful.”

Plus, they were blown away by Jude’s ability to communicate with the buttons. Plus, his response to the music is something they’ve never seen before.

The two joked that it was an honor that Jude didn’t turn off their music.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.