I had a Belgian shepherd named Arwin, but the neighborhood kids couldn’t quite master that and soon after Star Wars debuted, she became R1 to everyone, myself and her included. She definitely had an active brain. She knew lots of words. I loved in LA at the time, and two of her favorite things to do in the world were to go to Venice Beach where dogs could run free and chase the waves, and to go up the Angel’s Crest highway into the mountains to frolic there, particularly when they were snow covered.
If I had my car windows rolled down and simply said, “R1, want to go to the beach/mountains?” she would tear off to the car, make a great jump, and land in position in the back seat ready to go. If I asked if she wanted to go for a walk, she’d go get her leash and bring it to me. If I didn’t ask soon enough, she’d bring it and deliver it to me, then gently take my hand in her mouth and lead me to the front door.
What I think your little one was getting at is her growing sense that humans are sentient in a way other animals currently are not. You might show her some videos of animals demonstrating their intelligence. Here are a few examples worth watching. Show her the Sledding Crow, the African Raven working a puzzle, Japanese Crows learning to use traffic and watch crosswalk signs to crack and eat nuts, and this compilation that shows the top 5 animal IQ list.
Here are some additional facts about animal intelligence.