Gabra Zachman

I called Horowitz and described my experiments with Ellie. To me, that's not great, Horowitz said. Dogs already do so much to accommodate our lives. They're on our schedule. They have to ask us if they want to urinate. They socialize on our schedule. They walk where we want to walk on a leash. Ostensibly, the interest in having dogs is that they're another species.

I called Horowitz and described my experiments with Ellie. To me, that's not great, Horowitz said. Dogs already do so much to accommodate our lives. They're on our schedule. They have to ask us if they want to urinate. They socialize on our schedule. They walk where we want to walk on a leash. Ostensibly, the interest in having dogs is that they're another species.

There's something unknown about them, and that's wonderful. Why do we lean into forcing them to wear clothes and speak our language? I told Horowitz that Cash, the golden retriever, repeatedly pressed backyard water until his owner figured out that he might be asking to swim in the river behind the house. When Cash was let outside, he ran right to the water. It's not scientific, Horowitz said.

There's something unknown about them, and that's wonderful. Why do we lean into forcing them to wear clothes and speak our language? I told Horowitz that Cash, the golden retriever, repeatedly pressed backyard water until his owner figured out that he might be asking to swim in the river behind the house. When Cash was let outside, he ran right to the water. It's not scientific, Horowitz said.

It's possible, she went on, that the dog was requesting to swim. Equally possible, though, was that the dog pressed some buttons and then, unrelatedly, was happy to swim. Neither possibility could be proved false. If the button said, rocket moon, and the dog pushed rocket moon, most people would say, no, no, that's insane. My dog is not wishing they could take a rocket to the moon, Horowitz said.

It's possible, she went on, that the dog was requesting to swim. Equally possible, though, was that the dog pressed some buttons and then, unrelatedly, was happy to swim. Neither possibility could be proved false. If the button said, rocket moon, and the dog pushed rocket moon, most people would say, no, no, that's insane. My dog is not wishing they could take a rocket to the moon, Horowitz said.

Within the dog button community, Horowitz is regarded as a killjoy. Another dog researcher in the same camp is Clive Wynn, a behavioral scientist at Arizona State University.

Within the dog button community, Horowitz is regarded as a killjoy. Another dog researcher in the same camp is Clive Wynn, a behavioral scientist at Arizona State University.

Wynn's theory about why dogs occasionally seem to express complex and creative phrases is that they get the most enthusiastic reception from their owners when they press a lot of different buttons, and that the owners pay attention only when these sequences make sense. As a gesture of goodwill, Divine sent Wynn a button as a gift for his dog.

Wynn's theory about why dogs occasionally seem to express complex and creative phrases is that they get the most enthusiastic reception from their owners when they press a lot of different buttons, and that the owners pay attention only when these sequences make sense. As a gesture of goodwill, Divine sent Wynn a button as a gift for his dog.

Wynn recorded, my name is Zephos, into the button, and he taught Zephos to press it. So she said, with my voice, my name is Zephos, Wynn told me. She enjoyed it, and we enjoyed it. I think it's all good, clean fun, but I don't think we learn anything about dogs by doing it.

Wynn recorded, my name is Zephos, into the button, and he taught Zephos to press it. So she said, with my voice, my name is Zephos, Wynn told me. She enjoyed it, and we enjoyed it. I think it's all good, clean fun, but I don't think we learn anything about dogs by doing it.

For Wynn, the buttons are not only entirely superfluous to the communication humans and dogs already have, but also potentially a distraction from their natural barks and howls, their tail wags and tucks. I actually think that having dogs press buttons runs the risk of obscuring dogs' voices in the sense of dogs' expressions of themselves, Wynn said. Rossano disagrees with this notion.

For Wynn, the buttons are not only entirely superfluous to the communication humans and dogs already have, but also potentially a distraction from their natural barks and howls, their tail wags and tucks. I actually think that having dogs press buttons runs the risk of obscuring dogs' voices in the sense of dogs' expressions of themselves, Wynn said. Rossano disagrees with this notion.

It doesn't mean that they lose their first language, he said. They're still dogs. They still do their thing, and they still bark at people, and they still scratch the door, and they still try to get toys. It's just that, in addition, they have another way to communicate. And sometimes they choose that way to communicate, which I think is interesting to study.

It doesn't mean that they lose their first language, he said. They're still dogs. They still do their thing, and they still bark at people, and they still scratch the door, and they still try to get toys. It's just that, in addition, they have another way to communicate. And sometimes they choose that way to communicate, which I think is interesting to study.

Pet owners will tell you that their dogs love them unrequitedly, that they feel guilty, that they make jokes. According to the science, though, dogs don't necessarily do any of these things. They may whine when you leave the house, but separation anxiety isn't the same as missing you. They can tell when a human is sad, but scientifically speaking, that doesn't mean they care.

Pet owners will tell you that their dogs love them unrequitedly, that they feel guilty, that they make jokes. According to the science, though, dogs don't necessarily do any of these things. They may whine when you leave the house, but separation anxiety isn't the same as missing you. They can tell when a human is sad, but scientifically speaking, that doesn't mean they care.

What's undeniable, though, is the emotional connection that humans feel with our pets. Maybe our language-loving brain needs that bond to manifest in words in order to feel real. Julianne Kaminski, a comparative psychologist who led the RICO study, shared one of her more recent findings with me. Dogs have a muscle around their eyes for the sole purpose of making big, sad puppy-dog faces.

What's undeniable, though, is the emotional connection that humans feel with our pets. Maybe our language-loving brain needs that bond to manifest in words in order to feel real. Julianne Kaminski, a comparative psychologist who led the RICO study, shared one of her more recent findings with me. Dogs have a muscle around their eyes for the sole purpose of making big, sad puppy-dog faces.