How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog

Meet Stella the dog—a viral internet star whose claim to fame goes beyond her cuteness. You see, Stella knows how to talk! Using simple paw-sized buttons associated with different English words, Stella is able to communicate a variety of her wants and needs to her human. This dog-to-people-communication-system was developed by speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger, whose work with toddlers with significant delays in language development—and by using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to help them communicate—gave her the idea to try this same process with dogs. And it was a success!  Armed with a bank of more than 30 word buttons, Stella uses them daily either individually or together to create near-complete sentences. How Stella Learned to Talk is part memoir and part how-to guide, chronicling the journey Christina and Stella have taken together, from the day they met to the day Stella “spoke” her first word, and beyond. It also shows the techniques Christina used to teach Stella, broken down into simple stages and actionable steps any dog owner can use to start communicating with their pets.