Christina Hunger, a speech-language pathologist, has come up with an incredible adaptive soundboard that helps her communicate with her dog. The 26-year-old says her 18-month-old dog can communicate everything from what she needs to how she feels.
Christina’s dog, Stella, is a Catahoula blue heeler mix. She came up with the device when Stella was eight weeks old and said her dog’s vocabulary is similar to a 2-year-old child. Christina adopted a method she used on her toddler patients and came up with the device.
The soundboard has several buttons, and when the dog steps on them, they play a word. Christina achieved this by recording a group of words and then programming them into the buttons. It took some time for Stella to become familiar with the board, but her progress has been amazing.
One time, Stella was pacing impatiently in front of the door. Christina assumed her dog needed to relieve herself outside. Stella used the soundboard to tell Christina that she wanted Jake. Jake is Christina’s fiancĂ© and was due home from work at that time. When Jake walked through the door, Stella pressed the “happy” button on the soundboard. Incredible!
Christina is shocked at how well her dog communicates using the board. The speech pathologist says Stella is continually improving the way she “talks” to her owner.
Christina manages a blog called Hunger for Words, and she tracks her dog’s progress there. At 18 months old, Stella has learned 29 words. The smart dog can also combine words to make phrases or sentences. Stella’s favorite word on her soundboard is “park.” Check out this interesting video on Stella and her soundboard below:
Christina would like to expand her research and teach other dogs how to communicate using the soundboard. Christina has noted that besides Stella’s improved communication, the dog’s gestures have also evolved. Stella only used to use her right paw to hit a button but now uses both paws.
Using both paws may not seem like a big deal, but Christina says it’s equivalent to people learning to type with two hands. Christina also says that her bond with Stella has deepened tremendously since teaching her the soundboard. What an incredible story!
Credits: Inside Edition YouTube