The smart pooch can even put phrases like “Want” “Jake” “Come” when she wants to see her dad!
If you’re a pet parent who’s curious to understand what your furbabies are trying to say, Stella’s story may help you turn into a Dr. Dolittle yourself! A speech pathologist has taught her 18-month old dog, Stella, how to communicate using a soundboard. 26-year-old Christina Hunger uses an adaptive device to help Stella communicate not just words but her feelings too! The Catahoula/Blue Heeler mix steps on buttons on the board with Hunger’s recorded words to tell her mum what she wants and what she feels. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it?
Hunger points out the improvement in Stella’s vocabulary and states that she already recognizes 29 words. One day when the sweet pup was whining at the door and pacing up and down. Her mom thought she wanted to go outside. But the bright canine stepped on the board instead to tap out the words: “Want,” “Jake” “Come”. She stood at the door till Hunger’s fiance Jake came in. She was ecstatic to see him and tapped on the “Happy” button for a belly rub. Stella also loves tapping on the “beach” button. That’s not all! Another time while Hunger was getting ready for work, Stella tapped in the words “Bye” ‘No”. Looks like the pup was going to miss her mom…Talk about heart-melting!
Hunger works in San Diego with children aged 1 and 2 years old and many of them use these devices to communicate. Hunger decided to teach her own pup how to “talk” when she was just 8 weeks old. “I’m in constant amazement and shock,” Hunger tells PEOPLE. “Every day she says something cooler than she said the day before.” “The way she uses words to communicate and the words she’s combining is really similar to a 2-year-old child,” says Hunger, who jots down Stella’s progress on her blog, Hunger For Words, and Instagram. The furry Einstein can distinguish 29 words and can even mix about 5 to make comprehensive phrases.
Not only does the dog mom love knowing about Stella’s thoughts, but her pooch also seems to love “talking” just as much. When Stella first learned to communicate the word “walk,” she acted excited and used it repeatedly. “I didn’t realize how much she was waiting to say it,” Hunger says. Apart from walks, Stella loves heading to the beach and the word “beach” is another favorite button to tap on. “She loves saying ‘beach.’ She was so happy and still says it very often.” Hunger plans on continuing teaching her canine as many words as she can and even wants to teach other dogs how to “speak.” “I think how important dogs are to their humans,” Hunger says. “I just imagine how much deeper the bond will be.”