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Transcript/ScriptPet Talking Tech)
HEADLINE: Some Dogs and Cats Are Using Words to Express Their Needs and Wants
TEASER: Innovative communication tool helping owners understand pets
PUBLISHED: 02/16/2023 12noon
BYLINE: Julie Taboh
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Glen Allen, Virginia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Adam Greenbaum
PRODUCER: Julie Taboh, Adam Greenbaum
SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, Holly Franko
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Original VOA, @whataboutbunny, SKYPE, Stephan Paul Kaufhold
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:50
VID APPROVED BY: Holly Franko
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: Please note that there will be a LogOn version of this story as well.))
((INTRO))
[[Imagine if your dog or cat could use words to let you know when they’re angry, lonely or in pain. Well now they can, thanks to an innovative communication tool that’s helping them express themselves more effectively. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.]]
((NATS – Morgan: “Let’s go play! Let’s go play! Go girl!”))
((NARRATOR))
Morgan Krug ((kroog)) knows how to communicate with her pets...
((NATS – Morgan: “Drop, good job, beep! Catch, good girl, yeah!”))
And like most animal owners, usually knows when they want something…
By reading their body language…
((NATS – Morgan: “More pets!”))
((NARRATOR))
But now her daily interactions are even stronger, she says, thanks to a set of buttons with pre-recorded words that her pets can push to express themselves.
((NATS – Jasper pushes button: “Wet food!!”))
((Morgan Krug, Dog Trainer))
“I started off as skeptic. I knew that they could request outside, or specific toys.”
((NATS – Adora pushes buttons: “Frisbee." Play." Morgan: “Frisbee play!!”))
((Morgan Krug, Dog Trainer))
“But the level of clarity that they're able to give you via the buttons is just unparalleled. And there are things that I've learned, even as someone who has worked professionally with animals for 16 years, that I would not have known otherwise.”
((NATS – Morgan playing with Adora: “Beep!”))
((NARRATOR))
A dog trainer by trade, Krug ((kroog)) is using a system called FluentPet, where she can use her own voice to record words...
((NATS – Morgan: “Ball” and button plays back, “Ball!”))
This has been especially helpful for her cat Jasper, who is blind.
((NATS – Jasper pushes button: “Kibble”))
((Morgan Krug, Dog Trainer))
“Having the buttons and a voice when she doesn't have her eyesight to navigate by has really enriched her life in ways that I could have never anticipated.”
((Radio track: Leo Trottier ((Tro—tee-aye)) is founder and CEO of FluentPet. He spoke with VOA via Skype.))
((Leo Trottier, FluentPet Founder)) ((SKYPE))
“I think a lot of people just really want to connect with the animals they share their lives with.
((Courtesy: @whataboutbunny))
((NATS – Bunny pushes button: “Bunny! Help!”))
So thanks to buttons, we're seeing people report behaviors and interactions with their dog or their cat that to me as someone who has a background in cognitive science, I find totally astonishing.”
((NARRATOR))
The company has also developed a FluentPet app that owners can use to collect data on their pets and keep track of what their dog or their cat has learned over time.
((Morgan Krug, Dog Trainer))
”So I've been logging Jasper's data for close to two years.”
“I'm able to see what her most-pressed buttons are.”
((Courtesy: Stephan Paul Kaufhold))
((NARRATOR))
Federico Rossano, a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, is conducting a huge study on the use of recordable buttons between people and their pets.
((Radio track: He spoke with VOA via Skype.))
((Federico Rossano, Professor of Cognitive Science, UCSD)) ((SKYPE))
“Just like any tool, not everybody needs to use it or learn how to use it. But for some people, for some animals, this could be useful.”
((NATS – Jasper pushes the buttons: “Pet. Kibble. Training.”))
((NARRATOR))
One thing is clear: Systems like this hold a lot of promise for future advancements in human-animal interactions.
((NATS – Morgan: “What does Adora want?" Adora pushes button: “Outside.” Morgan: "Okay let’s go!”))
(Julie Taboh, VOA News, Glen Allen, Virginia))
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