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SYFY WIRE Harry Potter

Someone trained a dog to obey Harry Potter spell commands, and it’s truly magical

By Elizabeth Rayne
Harry Potter dog

Crookshanks has nothing on this otherworldly pooch.

Teaching your dog commands in the form of spells—with a wand as a guide—might sound like something straight out of the Wizarding World to us Muggles, but one Potterhead was able to work her magic and literally train her furry friend as if she's casting a spell on him.

Actress and YouTuber Anna Brisbin might rival Hermione’s cleverness. She’s posted a video of how she’s trained her dog, Remus (named after who else but Remus Lupin), to follow commands in wizard-speak. That's right: Remus responds to Harry Potter spells. There is no “sit” and “stay” here; there is “immobulus” and “stupefy.”

Is that wand dragon heartstring or unicorn hair?

While dogs don’t fly, Remus will stand on his hind legs when he hears “wingardium leviosa.” All she has to do is say “ascendio” to get him up on her bed, and “descendo” to command him back down.

She’ll likely never have to worry about him getting lost, because a call of “revelio” brings him running. At least the incantation of “avada kedavra” only results in Remus playing dead. Imagine trying to train Fang or, even worse, Fluffy, to do all these commands. Fang is just too lazy, and you’re better off leaving the three-headed one with a self-playing harp.

It’s not like Remus can’t get into normal canine shenanigans. Games of fetch do happen at Anna’s place, but only under the guise of “accio.” The dog is also capable of opening doors when he hears “alohomora,” though he does need human assistance with the actual lock. Brisbin can even place the Confundus Charm on him, which makes Remus chase his tail. He also fends off Dementors, but only those in the form of cats.

Possibly even more amazing is how she got Remus to wear a Gryffindor uniform through the entire video without him desperately trying to chew it off.

(via io9)