Don was a German hunting dog born in 1905. He was owned by game warden Herman Ebers of Theerhutte, Germany. When Don was only a six-month-old puppy, he surprised the family by distinctly saying the word "haben!" which means "want" in English. This was all the more surprising because he was responding to someone saying "Do you want something?" Ebers' daughter Martha took it upon herself to teach Don more words. Within a few years, Don became famous throughout Germany for his ability to speak, and even beyond.
Don made his vaudeville debut in 1912 at William Hammerstein's Paradise Roof Garden atop the Victoria Theatre in New York City. The reviews of his performance were mixed. Poor Don wasn't used to being on stage in front of so many people, so it took a while for him to get his stage legs. He also didn't speak English, which might have affected his reception. Some say the show was marvelous and Don was the brightest dog ever, while others said his guttural sounds might be mistaken for speech. But audiences loved Don. He toured the US for about six months in both 1912 and 1913. It was during that 1913 tour that Don became a certified hero by saving a drowning man's life. You can read that story, and the account of Don's eventful life, at The Hatching Cat. -via Strange Company