The dog that walks like a human – and other precocious pets: ‘We didn’t teach him, it was his idea’

Kentee Pasek and Dexter the dog near their home in Ouray, Colorado. Photograph: David Clifford/The Guardian

‘I watched in amazement as he hopped up the stairs’: Dexter, the dog that walks on two legs

We bought Dexter as a puppy. He was an adorable bundle of energy, a pure-breed Brittany spaniel. My husband, two children and I fell in love with him straight away. We’d lost an elderly dog the year before, and had rescued another, who we tragically had to put to sleep. It devastated us. So we poured our love into Dexter.