A friend of ours is working on her dissertation. She is getting close to finishing, and so to keep herself motivated, she is developing a list of things she's going to do as soon as it is signed, sealed, and defended. One of her favorite things to dream about is making a communication board for her dog, in the style of speech pathologist Christina Hunger who created just such a device for her own dog, Stella.
According to Hunger, Stella knows many words and is even demonstrating some pragmatic language skills by the way she selects and organizes the words. Some of the words are even qualitative, allowing Stella to express her opinion about the things she likes and loves and those she doesn't.
Even though I agree with our friend that it is every pet owner's dream to be able to know definitively what their animal is thinking, is it really necessary? Because really, don't we all think we know already? Who doesn't talk for their pets? To be honest, though, part of our understanding is because our pets are really good at communicating. Just today, when Lucy and I were on a long, hot walk, she pulled me insistently over to a car and stared longingly at the back door, as if to say Why don't we just drive home from here?
And when we talk about teaching our cats to use a communication board? Well, for Tibby anyway, there better be a cuss word or two, so she can tell us how she really feels.
According to Hunger, Stella knows many words and is even demonstrating some pragmatic language skills by the way she selects and organizes the words. Some of the words are even qualitative, allowing Stella to express her opinion about the things she likes and loves and those she doesn't.
Even though I agree with our friend that it is every pet owner's dream to be able to know definitively what their animal is thinking, is it really necessary? Because really, don't we all think we know already? Who doesn't talk for their pets? To be honest, though, part of our understanding is because our pets are really good at communicating. Just today, when Lucy and I were on a long, hot walk, she pulled me insistently over to a car and stared longingly at the back door, as if to say Why don't we just drive home from here?
And when we talk about teaching our cats to use a communication board? Well, for Tibby anyway, there better be a cuss word or two, so she can tell us how she really feels.
No doubt those kitties would get a rating of M for mature.
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