Do you remember the famous talking dog from North Carolina?

We hear the most interesting things from our loyal listeners every day on our radio show. But we never imagined that a caller would tell us the moving story of Barney, the famous talking dog from North Carolina.

Of course, we didn't move to the Carolinas until 2006, long after Barney, the famous talking dog from North Carolina, came on the scene, so we didn't know his story. But it turns out that his talent made national headlines.

Famous talking dog from North Carolina

Last week we discussed a silly question on the radio that involved this exact dilemma. Would you rather have a talking dog or a cat that could pay half your rent? People came forward with all sorts of answers and justifications. And then one caller told us that Hickory once had a famous talking dog that said, “I'm hungry.”

We laughed and thought it might be a joke. Or maybe a dog owner thought it sounded like their dog could talk when in reality they were the only one who could understand it. As you can imagine, my curiosity got the better of me and I started scouring the internet for evidence of the famous talking dog from North Carolina.

And that's exactly how I found a YouTube video from 1989 from the old news show A Current Affair. They received a video from a local reporter at WHKY in Hickory. And the report explained that Barney was the pet of Mable Wiles of the Hickory/Valdese area. And Barney the dachshund not only liked to eat from a fork like a human, but he also let his owner know he was hungry by making it known loudly.

And what's more, Barney could even whisper the words “I'm hungry.” Mable explained that her dog was 3 months old when he started talking. And like many newborns, his first word was “Mommy.” And she said, “Barney, are you hungry?” And to her shock, he replied, “I'm hungry.”

Barney's popularity brought telephone lines to a standstill

In fact, Barney was so popular that his recording overloaded the Charlotte Observer's phone lines when they set up a voicemail with his stunt for readers to call in and listen in. A Southern Bell spokesman said: “The sheer volume of people trying to call Barney is clogging up the main lines to the Observer building.” According to a report in the Deseret News, the newspaper had to cease production.

So you learn something new every day. And we are better off because we learned about the famous talking dog from North Carolina. We never made a final decision about what is better: a talking dog or a cat that pays half the rent. I am leaning towards the talking dog, though.

Debbie Nance co-hosts the afternoon shows “The Charlie and Debbie Show” with her husband on WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has worked for the station for 18 years. Debbie is a CMA award winner for Radio Personality of the Year. And she has worked in radio for 40 years. Prior to her current afternoon position, Debbie co-hosted morning shows in various markets throughout the Southeast for more than a decade. As a content creator for Country 1037, Debbie writes articles about food, new restaurants in the Carolinas, and travel experiences.