Gabra Zachman

After a few months, she pressed water when Christina was watering plants. Stella was narrating what she saw, Hunger thought. Hunger expanded Stella's board, adding emotions like mad and social words like bye. When Stella started putting multiple words together, Hunger wasn't too surprised.

After a few months, she pressed water when Christina was watering plants. Stella was narrating what she saw, Hunger thought. Hunger expanded Stella's board, adding emotions like mad and social words like bye. When Stella started putting multiple words together, Hunger wasn't too surprised.

Dogs are about as smart as a two-and-a-half-year-old human, and Hunger knew that toddlers of that age typically composed sentences of two or three words. After a year, Stella was saying bed later and want outside now. One day, the end of daylight saving time delayed Stella's mealtime. She asked for food, and hunger told her to wait.

Dogs are about as smart as a two-and-a-half-year-old human, and Hunger knew that toddlers of that age typically composed sentences of two or three words. After a year, Stella was saying bed later and want outside now. One day, the end of daylight saving time delayed Stella's mealtime. She asked for food, and hunger told her to wait.

In protest, she stomped over to her buttons and pressed, "'Love you, no.'" Hunger's blog of Stella's progress went viral, and other dog owners started experimenting with the buttons. Those accounts themselves went viral. A movement grew. The dogs who used the buttons had some things in common.

In protest, she stomped over to her buttons and pressed, "'Love you, no.'" Hunger's blog of Stella's progress went viral, and other dog owners started experimenting with the buttons. Those accounts themselves went viral. A movement grew. The dogs who used the buttons had some things in common.

First, their owners spent a lot of time with them, talking to them, looking at them, pressing buttons with them. Second, these owners were often women with no children in the house. As for the dogs themselves, many had bossy personalities. They had things they needed you to know. A pit bull named Tilda pressed sound twice every time her owner joined a weekly game of Dungeons & Dragons.

First, their owners spent a lot of time with them, talking to them, looking at them, pressing buttons with them. Second, these owners were often women with no children in the house. As for the dogs themselves, many had bossy personalities. They had things they needed you to know. A pit bull named Tilda pressed sound twice every time her owner joined a weekly game of Dungeons & Dragons.

Should I wear headphones? the owner wondered. A golden retriever named Cash pressed worried when his owner turned on the stove to cook dinner, because he wasn't a fan of all the sizzling and popping. When we actually can hear firsthand how an animal is experiencing the world, it profoundly changes how we treat them and how we view them, Hunger told me.

Should I wear headphones? the owner wondered. A golden retriever named Cash pressed worried when his owner turned on the stove to cook dinner, because he wasn't a fan of all the sizzling and popping. When we actually can hear firsthand how an animal is experiencing the world, it profoundly changes how we treat them and how we view them, Hunger told me.

Both my husband and I really view Stella as an equal part of our family. Her opinion matters. Her feelings matter. Her thoughts matter. Of all the dogs I saw online, Bunny, the Sheepadoodle, had the strongest opinions and the biggest feelings. She hated feet. She hated water. She hated birds. She was known for her outspoken nature and philosophical musings. I dog, she remarked. Dog, why?

Both my husband and I really view Stella as an equal part of our family. Her opinion matters. Her feelings matter. Her thoughts matter. Of all the dogs I saw online, Bunny, the Sheepadoodle, had the strongest opinions and the biggest feelings. She hated feet. She hated water. She hated birds. She was known for her outspoken nature and philosophical musings. I dog, she remarked. Dog, why?

Scrolling through her videos, I paused on an exchange between Bunny and her owner, Alexis Devine. Mad, Bunny said, and looked at Devine. Why are you mad? Devine asked. Ouch, Bunny said. Where is your ouch? Devine asked. Bunny pressed stranger and pawed the side of her head. In your ear? Devine asked. Where, stranger? Bunny appeared to reflect. Paw, she said, and came over to Divine.

Scrolling through her videos, I paused on an exchange between Bunny and her owner, Alexis Devine. Mad, Bunny said, and looked at Devine. Why are you mad? Devine asked. Ouch, Bunny said. Where is your ouch? Devine asked. Bunny pressed stranger and pawed the side of her head. In your ear? Devine asked. Where, stranger? Bunny appeared to reflect. Paw, she said, and came over to Divine.

She held out her shaggy left paw, and the video cuts to Divine holding a foxtail thorn that she explains was stuck between her toes. Now, people online are unkind. Bunnies posts incite fervent ridicule as much as they inspire and amaze. Detractors accuse the videos of being faked, selectively edited, cherry-picked.

She held out her shaggy left paw, and the video cuts to Divine holding a foxtail thorn that she explains was stuck between her toes. Now, people online are unkind. Bunnies posts incite fervent ridicule as much as they inspire and amaze. Detractors accuse the videos of being faked, selectively edited, cherry-picked.

The more scientifically-minded skeptics bring up Clever Hans, the horse whose owner toured Germany at the turn of the 20th century to prove he could do mathematical calculations, and ended up showing that animals can be very good at picking up on unconscious cues. Everyone knows that while dogs recognize human words, they are not supposed to be able to use words themselves.

The more scientifically-minded skeptics bring up Clever Hans, the horse whose owner toured Germany at the turn of the 20th century to prove he could do mathematical calculations, and ended up showing that animals can be very good at picking up on unconscious cues. Everyone knows that while dogs recognize human words, they are not supposed to be able to use words themselves.

But for the pet owners, pressing buttons with dogs is not so different from communicating with a small child. As Divine says, what's not to believe? Since at least the Victorian age, when we first began inviting birds, cats, and dogs into our homes en masse to live alongside us, people have endeavored to talk to their pets.

But for the pet owners, pressing buttons with dogs is not so different from communicating with a small child. As Divine says, what's not to believe? Since at least the Victorian age, when we first began inviting birds, cats, and dogs into our homes en masse to live alongside us, people have endeavored to talk to their pets.