As a speech therapist, Christina Hunger helped people of all ages learn ways to improve their communication. When she brought her puppy Stella home in early 2018, she couldn't help but notice all of the similarities between her communication skills and those of toddlers right before they begin saying words. Inspired by her passion for using technology and other adaptive equipment to help people communicate when speaking is difficult, as well as her desire for Stella to be understood, Christina decided to see what would happen if she provided Stella with a way to say the words she was hearing and understanding.
Stella, now two years old, has a bank of more than 30 words, programmed onto paw-sized buttons affixed to plywood. Using this easy, affordable technology, Stella first learned simple words like "outside," "water" and "walk." But that was just the beginning: Stella has taught Christina that her emotions and desires are far more complex than "feed me." Stella needs extra affection when there are changes in her routine, gets cross when she gets less time outside, and thinks about her owners when they aren't home. Stella likes sharing her observations and experiences, and says "love you" to only a handful of people she spends time with.
In How Stella Learned to Talk, Christina tells the story of Stella's journey from her first experiments with single words all the way to complex and unique phrases, progressing far beyond what she ever thought possible, becoming a worldwide sensation in the process. Broken down into simple stages and actionable steps, How Stella Learned to Talk is an incredible true story and a surprisingly simple guide. With Christina's Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology, her background working with pre-linguistic children, and her advocacy for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, it only took adopting Stella into her life to start one of the most amazing human-dog relationship stories of all time. Now she's ready to teach everyone what she's learned so that anyone can teach their dog to communicate.
Filled with the conversations that Stella and Christina have had, and explained with the attention to developmental detail that only a speech pathologist could bring to this project. Inspiring and thought-provoking, How Stella Learned to Talk is a must-read for dog-lovers everywhere.
