Note from dog
Bunny, the “talking dog” is a Sheepadoodle, who has been trained to communicate using a sound board with large buttons keyed to different words. By pressing them in sequence, she can relay basic sentences and sentiments — “Bunny sad,” or “where mom,” for instance.
While her true understanding of language is debated, most animal behavior researchers and laypersons alike agree that she is positively communicating and seems to understand what she says and hears back, according to Nicole E. Karlis in Salon. Bunny’s owner, Alexis Devine, shares videos of Bunny “talking” on her social media accounts, which are pretty convincing.
Bunny, who has 7.1 million followers on TikTok, is one of nearly 2,600 dogs and 300 cats enrolled in a project called TheyCanTalk. The study aims to understand if animals can communicate with humans through augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices such as the buttons that have become wildly popular with dog owners.
subscription
SUBSCRIBE TO
LOVE, DOG
LOVE, DOG
Become an annual or monthly subscriber or give a gift subscription. You'll have full access to all of our original content and best of all, your dog will love you even more!
Subscribe Today
Suggested Reads
A History of Dogs
FROM THE STONE AGE TO THE SPACE...
The Chronicles of Brooklyn, Lesson #3: Be Kind
LESSONS FROM A (MOSTLY) GOOD DOG
