Meet Della the talking dog: terrier chats to passers-by (video)

WHEN playing with a ball, or jumping up excitedly when she hears the jangling of her lead, Della looks like a normal dog.

But it is only when her owners take her for a walk to the shops that her talents become apparent.

Never one for barking, the Staffordshire bull terrier prefers to "chat" to passers-by.

She has become known as the Talking Dog of Hornsea due to her unique sound.

"When I first heard her, I ran out because I thought it was a baby crying or a child in trouble," said her owner Ian Suggitt.

"When I realised it was Della, I thought she must be choking herself or hurt.

"But she wasn't – she just makes the weirdest noise."

A cross between a baby crying or a toddler shouting is how most people think she sounds.

Although she cannot say words, some of her noises sound like "mama" and "hello".

Ian's son Lewis, 10, said: "I think she sounds like a sheep, but without the 'baaa'."

The Suggitt family got Della from an RSPCA rescue centre about three years ago. It was not until Ian, 38, took Della for her first outing to the shops that he noticed the noise.

He now says he gets lots of comments about Della, who is about five years old.

Lewis, who attends Hornsea Community Primary School, said: "All my friends at school know who she is.

"When dad picks me up with Della, all my friends run over because they know who she is. "I think she just likes to be noticed."

Ian, who lives with Lewis, his wife Ruth, 38, and daughter Leah, 15, says he was not always comfortable with Della's special talent.

He said: "At first, I was embarrassed, but now we just think it is normal.

"She only seems to make the noise when we leave her tied up outside the shops – so I often don't get to hear it.

"As soon as she sees me, she stops."

Della likes to go for walks about three times a day.

When she is not visiting the shop while Ian picks up a paper, she can be found larking around on the beach.

Ian said: "She likes to jump for the seagulls but she doesn't realise they are in the air and can fly off.

"Although we take her on the beach, she doesn't seem to like the waves.

"She'll only go for a paddle if the water is calm and it is a really hot day. She doesn't like the rain either."

Despite loving the limelight when she visits the shops, Della does not make any other noises. Unusually, she never barks.

Lewis said: "She might bark once at a firework on Bonfire Night and that's it.

"The rest of the time she never barks.

"I like having a dog that everyone knows.

"I think I would like a dog of my own when I grow up.

"Della is really good for cuddles."

Ian says Della is a bit of a diva.

He said: "She never sits still, she is always padding about – which is sometimes annoying.

"And then when I go out without her, people are always asking where she is.

"I have to reply 'I don't just walk the dog you know'."