Podcast Episode: Dogs Have Rich Cognitive and Emotional Lives with Alexis Devine from Bunny the "Talking Dog"
In this episode I am joined by Alexis Devine, the woman behind the viral sensation "Bunny the talking dog". Alexis is the pet parent of Bunny the talking sheepadoodle and Otter the poodle. Inspired by speech-language pathologist Chrisitina Hunger's work with her own dog, Alexis began training her dog Bunny to speak using an augmentative and alternative communication device ( A.A.C) otherwise known as sound buttons. When Bunny was about six months old they joined a study with the comparative cognition lab at UC San Diego, which studies whether or not non-humans are able to express themselves in language-like ways . Much to the delight of millions of followers, Alexis has been documenting her journey with Bunny and Otter on social media all along the way.
We talk a little bit about the science behind these buttons, her journey with Bunny and Otter, and some of the lessons she has learned along the way.
