It is no secret that Australian Shepherds are one of the most intelligent dog breeds on earth. Not only are Aussies among the smartest breeds, but they are also one of the most beautiful dogs. Furthermore, Aussies are renowned for forming strong bonds with their owners and wanting to be part of whatever they do. If you can't take my word for it, enter Secret, a brilliant Aussie who entertained millions of people on social media.
Secret was an amazingly talented Australian Shepherd from Bellingham, Washington State. The clever pup was owned by an Autistic Washington State woman by the name of Mary Peters. With Mary's help, Secret had mastered the art of everything from painting to yoga and even Irish jigs. You could view Secret as one of the most intelligent dogs of all time. In fact, many of Secret's social media followers think she's a reincarnation of some lucky girl who must've been very intelligent.
Secret had gone viral on social media platforms, specifically Instagram and TikTok, just for all the incredible tricks she could perform. She was taught to do just about anything including:
- Yoga
- Painting
- Helping her mom cook and clean
- Dancing
- Gardening
- Laundry
- Singing
- Balancing trick
- Mopping
- Skateboarding
- Taking herself sledding
- Playing piano
- Drumming
All things considered, there's no doubt that the bond between Mary and Secret ran very deep. Luckily, this bond can be witnessed via their videos, which have been picked up by popular websites including
The Sun,
Inspire More, and
Daily Paws. Mary says her videos have been shown on different TV programs in the United States as well as in other countries. In all their videos, Secret seemed to really enjoy simply being with Mary and vice versa. Tragically and unfortunately, Secret kicked the bucket in 2022, leaving Mary devastated and heartbroken.
Secret's Adoption
Mary Peters adopted Secret as a puppy in December 2014. She was her first dog. As an Autistic girl, Mary trained Secret to help her feel socially and emotionally secure. But before meeting Secret, Mary says she was in a very bad place and hadn’t yet met the angel that would teach her life was worth living. She was 13 when she and Secret started out. In 2015, Mary opened an Instagram account asking for training tips and guidelines for raising a puppy.
As a first-time dog owner, Mary simply wanted to be sure she was doing the right thing regarding training. On May 15, 2015, Mary shared with her followers that Secret had graduated puppy kindergarten. According to Mary, every puppy had to perform at least one trick to graduate. Amazingly, Secret did many tricks that made the trainer shed tears!
Secret had two cat siblings named Cleo and Aslan.
She really had a knack for painting
She could play piano...
...as well as guitar
She could ride a scooter
Rise To Fame
On December 23, 2016, Mary shared a video on Instagram wherein Secret was seen pulling her own sled uphill and sliding down on it. The video quickly went viral, garnering over 200k views and 17 likes. Mary and Secret racked up tons of new followers as well, thanks to that video, which was also picked up by the popular pet website
The Dodo.
From here on, Mary began sharing more videos of Secret performing Amazing tricks, thus attracting more fans. At the time of this article, Mary and Secret's
Instagram account has over two million followers. If that is not impressive enough, the duo has over eight million followers on the video-sharing platform
TikTok, where most of their videos have gone viral. On Instagram, celebrities, including Jennifer Garner, are among Secret's fans.
Secret's Tragic Death
On, May 14, 2022, Secret, the Australian Shepherd sadly died of Leukemia, a broad term for cancers of the blood cells, at the age of 7. She passed away 100 days after her diagnosis and was only 5 days from a bone marrow transplant attempt. According to
Impri Medicine, Australian Shepherds are more likely to develop two specific kinds of cancer than other dogs. These include lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma. Nevertheless, Aussies are generally healthy dogs with an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years. Sadly, Secret didn't live to see her full potential lifespan.
Mary says she was by Secret's side when she died naturally and peacefully. Obviously, Secret had an amazing life. Plus, her impact on Mary's life was immeasurable, though her untimely death left Mary devastated.
When Secret was diagnosed with cancer, Mary's sister, Izzy Peters, organized a fundraiser to help save Secret. Once news of Secret's illness hit social media, fans all over the world flooded to the
GoFundMe page to donate. The goal was set to $50k but had surprisingly gotten well past $200k in less than 48 hours. Part of the money was used for her treatment. As for the rest, Mary said it would be put into a non-profit in Secret’s name, to find a cure for cancer in dogs.
After Secret passed, Mary says she had people coming up to her in grocery stores to tell her what an impact Secret’s videos had on them. Additionally, Mary says she had received heartfelt packages and letters from so many people who grieved with her.
On November 20, 2022, Mary took to Instagram to announce that she was doing better and had gotten another Australian Shepherd puppy. Her new dog's name is Promise and she is carrying on the legacy of Secret. Promise is a cute blue merle Australian Shepherd with tan markings. She has already mastered the art of painting!
