Draft:Shira (dog)
Submission declined on 30 October 2025 by DoubleGrazing (talk).
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Comment: Clever pooch, obvs, and well done for creating this draft! :) However... as yet, there is insufficient evidence that the subject is notable enough to justify an article. Only two of the sources cover Shira in significant extent, and they are both local lifestyle publications (New Jersey Monthly, Monmouth Magazine; the latter I would classify as hyperlocal). We normally require at least three sources which meet the WP:GNG standard, and at least one of them, ideally all, should be national media outlets or major regional ones. Please carry on researching the topic, to see if you could find more and better sources covering Shira. DoubleGrazing (talk) 08:34, 30 October 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: The title of this draft either has been disambiguated or will need to be disambiguated for acceptance.If the title of this draft has been disambiguated, submitters and reviewers are asked to check the disambiguated title to see if it is the most useful disambiguation, and, if necessary, rename this draft. If this draft is accepted, the disambiguation page will need to be edited. Either an entry will need to be added, or an entry will need to be revised. Please do not edit the disambiguation unless you are accepting this draft.The disambiguation page for the primary name is Shira.You may ask for advice about disambiguation at the Teahouse. Robert McClenon (talk) 04:02, 30 October 2025 (UTC)
| Species | Dog |
|---|---|
| Breed | Border Collie mix |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | 2017 Alabama, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Gifted word learning; subject of the Genius Dog Challenge; learning over 100 toy names |
| Owners | Tres Hanley and Paul Millman |
| Residence | Rumson, New Jersey, United States |
| Awards | Recognized as a "Gifted Word Learner" (GWL) by Eötvös Loránd University |
Shira is a female Border Collie mix dog from Rumson, New Jersey, United States, recognized for her exceptional ability to learn and distinguish the names of over 100 unique toys.[1][2] Adopted as a rescue in 2017, Shira has been identified as a "gifted word learner" (GWL) in canine cognition research conducted by Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary.[3][4][failed verification] Her case contributes to ongoing studies examining advanced receptive vocabularies and word-learning abilities in domestic dogs.
Early life
[edit]Shira was adopted in 2017 by actress-singer Tres Hanley and her husband, Paul Millman. Born in Alabama, Shira and her siblings were rescued from a house making meth by Heart of Alabama Save Rescue Adopt. At eight weeks, the puppies were transported to a New Jersey rescue, Animal Life Savers.[5] Described as a small and sickly runt at the time of adoption, she was nursed back to health by her owners, who noticed her early aptitude for associating verbal cues with specific objects, such as fetching a named toy (e.g., "cat toy" or "spider").[1] What began as a simple retrieval game soon revealed Shira’s extraordinary capacity for rapid word learning and object recognition.
Research affiliation
[edit]Shira is affiliated with the Eötvös Loránd University Department of Ethology in Budapest, Hungary, as part of the Genius Dog Challenge research project.[6][3] The project, directed by Ádám Miklósi and cognitive researcher Shany Dror, investigates a small group of "gifted word learner" (GWL) dogs capable of memorizing the names of numerous objects.[4]
According to the research team, dogs like Shira demonstrate human-like learning mechanisms, such as fast mapping, a process of quickly forming associations between words and their referents.[4] Shira’s data have been included in peer-reviewed studies published in Scientific Reports and presented at international conferences on animal cognition.[4][2]
Abilities
[edit]In 2022, Shira began formal participation in the Genius Dog Challenge, a series of controlled experiments testing dogs' word-learning abilities.[6] Researchers reported that Shira could accurately retrieve a named toy from a group of 20–30 items, often after hearing the word only a few times.[4] By 2023, she had learned the names of 125 toys and continued to expand her vocabulary through daily interaction and play.[1][2]
Unlike command-based obedience training, Shira’s learning relies on social motivation and emotional engagement with her owners.[1] Hanley-Millman has described her learning process as intuitive and play-driven rather than food-reward-based.[1]
Scientific contribution
[edit]A 2023 study published in Scientific Reports examined 41 dogs identified as GWLs, including Shira, and found shared traits such as early adoption, high owner engagement, and playful temperament.[4] Shira’s inclusion in this cohort provides evidence that gifted word learning is not limited to purebred Border Collies but can also appear in mixed-breed rescues.[7] Her performance supports hypotheses linking environmental enrichment and human interaction to advanced canine cognition.[3]
Shira’s case has been compared to that of Chaser, a Border Collie known for learning over 1,000 object names.[8] Researchers continue to collect and analyze Shira’s data for comparative linguistic studies and genomic correlations within the GWL cohort.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Shira lives with the Millmans and her 'brother' a rescued sato dog named Dauntless in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where she maintains an active lifestyle that includes daily play sessions.[1] Her toy collection exceeds 200 items, organized for ongoing vocabulary exercises.[1] [9] The Millmans frequently share videos of her training on social media, some of which have been reposted by the Genius Dog Challenge team.
As of October 2025, the Genius Dog Challenge reported that Shira had reached a new milestone—learning her 300th toy.[6]
In popular media
[edit]Shira’s abilities were profiled in a June 2024 New Jersey Monthly feature titled "Meet New Jersey’s Genius Dog," which brought her national attention.[1] Her participation in the Genius Dog Challenge was also reported by Forbes and BBC Science Focus as part of broader coverage of canine intelligence research.[2][7] These features emphasized her role in demonstrating the intelligence potential of mixed-breed and rescue dogs and the value of human–dog social bonds in cognitive development.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Meet New Jersey's Genius Dog: Shira, Rumson's Gifted Word Learner". New Jersey Monthly. June 20, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Gifted Dogs With Big Vocabularies Have Traits in Common, Study Finds". Forbes. December 15, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Eötvös Loránd University: Gifted Word Learner Dog Research". Eötvös Loránd University Department of Ethology. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dror, Shany; Miklósi, Ádám; Sommese, Andrea (December 2023). "Word learning in gifted word learner dogs". Scientific Reports. 13 (1). doi:10.1038/s41598-023-45204-9 (inactive 30 October 2025).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of October 2025 (link) - ^ Rolando, Donna (February 2024). "Canine Einstein". Monmouth Magazine. pp. 28–29. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Genius Dog Challenge". Genius Dog Challenge. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ a b "How to tell if your dog is a genius". BBC Science Focus. December 14, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ^ Pilley, John W. (2013). Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0544102576.
- ^ Rolando, Donna (February 2024). "Canine Einstein". Monmouth Magazine. pp. 28–29. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
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