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katerintree's review
3.0
Fascinating but frustrating. Hunger does absolutely zero research on dogs or dog training before starting, & honesty seemed wildly unprepared to own a dog (the road trip to San Diego showed a LOT of failure to plan for the dog) but she decides she’s going to teach other people how to teach their dog to communicate (she mentions “I thought I may teach a few other dogs to talk”).
Her failure to cite or reference any experts on dog training or behavior (& her hilarious idea abt dogs’ intrinsic motivation bc of a study done on children? Good lord) made it hard to really take her seriously.
STILL, the concept is fascinating & could very well teach us a lot about how dogs understand the world.
Her failure to cite or reference any experts on dog training or behavior (& her hilarious idea abt dogs’ intrinsic motivation bc of a study done on children? Good lord) made it hard to really take her seriously.
STILL, the concept is fascinating & could very well teach us a lot about how dogs understand the world.
lizaroo71's review
3.0
This was a gift for Mother's Day from my husband. Stella is pretty incredible, but her owner, Hunger, is just as impressive. Hunger is a speech-language pathologist that works with children that have to communicate using devices that use a form of augmentative and alternative communication. When Hunger adopts Stella as a puppy, she draws parallels with how babies acquire language and Stella.
Hunger comes up with the idea to create a form of a AAC device for Stella. She starts out with one word, builds to three and, eventually, makes her way to more than forty-five word and phrase combinations! You can see Stella in action on Hunger's website about their work together. https://www.hungerforwords.com/
It does make me wonder what my dogs would communicate with me given the chance. I know they understand me, but to have them express their thoughts would be pretty cool.
Hunger comes up with the idea to create a form of a AAC device for Stella. She starts out with one word, builds to three and, eventually, makes her way to more than forty-five word and phrase combinations! You can see Stella in action on Hunger's website about their work together. https://www.hungerforwords.com/
It does make me wonder what my dogs would communicate with me given the chance. I know they understand me, but to have them express their thoughts would be pretty cool.
bechug's review
4.0
I love how passionate Christina is about her job as a speech-language therapist and how it influenced her in helping her dog have a voice. Stella, the dog, is adorable! It was fun to get to know her, not just through stories about her, but in reading the words that she actually communicated. I wish my family had been able to teach our dog to communicate like this while she was still living. It will be interesting to see what further research in this area will bring to light about what's really going on inside a dog's head.
kitoliver's review
5.0
Everything I wanted this book to be and more. Loved it and am so happy to have read it!
elizartemisbailey's review
5.0
A speech pathologist who teaches kids to talk with communication devices used the same approach to teach her dog, Stella! The book looked silly to me at first, but I quickly fell in love with Stella’s story and the important truths it reveals about not just animal cognition but also human communication.
ashleylynne920's review
5.0
After watching a few videos of Stella using her AAC device, I had to know more. I bought the audiobook and listened to all 18 chapters in one day, and all I have to stay is "Wow." This book is masterfully written and guides readers through the author's first hand experiences adapting what she knows about language acquisition in children through her work as a speech pathologist to help her dog Stella engage in two-way communication. As I read about Stella's growth, I found myself emotional when Stella said how she felt and why; elated when she did something that showed her spunk; and encouraged that trialing this myself with my own dog could actually work.
If you've ever struggled to understand what your dog wants or needs, I highly recommend you add this to your TBR list!
If you've ever struggled to understand what your dog wants or needs, I highly recommend you add this to your TBR list!
ameliabeimler's review
5.0
Amazing! A great intro into world of augmented alternative communication devices for dogs!! If you’re a special educator and dog lover it’s a must read!