Most pet owners’ dream is to be able to talk to their dog and have their dog talk back. It would be the most amazing feeling to converse with your pet, and one creative dog mom decided to turn those dreams into a reality. After being inspired by speech language pathologist Christina Hunger and her dog Stella, Devine built a canine soundboard for herself and couldn’t wait to test it out on her sheepdoodle named Bunny.
Well, it turns out that Bunny is a super smart dog – because she took to the soundboard straight away!
Naturally, Devine began to film Bunny using the soundboard so that she could share it with all of the clever pup’s followers, and we have to admit that we think it’s pretty amazing.
Bunny began using the soundboard from the minute she was adopted by her owner, Alexis Devine, back in September 2019.
“The first sound board that we used was one that I had made after following Christina’s guidance on her blog,” said Alexis, who is an artist from Tacoma, Washington. “We used that for several months before I connected with Leo Trottier, who is a cognitive scientist. He was looking for beta testers of a new device and that is the board we are currently using with Bunny.”
Apparently, the 11-month-old pup first learned one word on her soundboard before gradually learning more and more – a bit like how you’d teach a child.
Her first word was “outside” – but she can now request to go to a specific destination like “beach” and “park” thanks to the buttons on her soundboard. What a clever pup!
“The sound board has been an overwhelmingly positive experience,” said Devine. “Bunny and I work on engagement, tricks and obedience to strengthen our bond daily, but this has added so much laughter, joy and wonder to our lives.
@what_about_bunnyShe is the sweetest ##FamilyThings ##4thOfJuly ##talkingdog ##fluentpet ##treatyourpet ##fypシ ##happy ##home♬ original sound – what_about_bunny
We have to admit, we were a little bit skeptical about the combination of dogs and soundboards – but after watching some of Bunny’s videos, it really seems like she’s aware of the buttons that she’s pressing! The smart pooch’s owner also tries to be as realistic as possible as she says:
“I am not a scientist but I recognize that large amounts of data need to be collected before we can make a judgment as to whether or not Bunny actually understands what she’s saying,””I’m also aware that I inevitably skew the data in favor of saying that Bunny is consciously communicating with me.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCtW9kkBpWH/
There’s no doubt that Bunny is a smart dog, though.
In the next video, Bunny tells Alexis that she has a question before pressing the “Ouch” button. As a precaution, Alexis took Bunny to the vet, where it was discovered that she had an infection in her nose. Coincidence? We think not.
@what_about_bunnySomeone had to go to the vet😥##HowTo ##whataboutbunny ##sheepadoodle ##petlover ##poorbaby ##dogsoftiktok ##plantlover ##talkingdog ##meetmypet ##animallove♬ original sound – what_about_bunny
Bunny has now become a little internet celebrity, with millions of followers on TikTok as well as a large following on other social platforms.
She’s still learning new words every day, and it’s fascinating to see what she’s going to say next!
“Bunny currently has 45 words on her board with 5 of them being new enough that we are still helping her to understand them contextually,” Alexis said. “It’s always an adventure, and we are thoroughly enjoying the ride regardless of the destination.”
@what_about_bunnySweet silly girl ##PetStory ##fyp ##whataboutbunny ##mydoggo ##dogchallenge ##dogsoftiktok ##smartdog ##sweetgirl ##talkingdog ##petstory ##petlover ##animal♬ Summer Days – Martin Garrix / Macklemore / Patrick Stump
What an amazing dog! You can see more of Bunny’s videos over on what_about_bunny, or check out her Instagram here.
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