A woman is teaching her dog how to "speak" and incredibly, the clever pooch has already learned 29 words.
Now, as any pet owner will attest, animals are pretty good at communicating with us humans, but sometimes we wish we knew exactly what they are trying to say, which is exactly what Christina Hunger, a speech and language pathologist, has managed to do.
To see Stella "speak" using actual words, check out the video below:Twenty-six-year-old Christina achieved this mind-boggling feat using a soundboard, which allows her 18-month dog, Stella, to communicate not only words but her thoughts and feelings too. She simply goes to each corresponding bell to communicate exactly what she wants her owner to know.
According to Christina, one day, when Stella was pining at the door, an action which most dog owners would assume is a request for a walk, she went over to the soundboard and spelled out "Want," "Jake" [Christina's fiancé], and "Come".
Then, a few minutes later, when Jake arrived home, Stella said "Happy" and rolled over for a belly rub.
"I'm in constant amazement and shock," Hunger told PEOPLE. "Every day she says something cooler than she said the day before."
Hunger, who is based in San Diego, works with children who use adaptive devices like Stella's soundboard to communicate, and she has been teaching Stella how to speak since she was eight weeks old. Now, the clever pooch can combine up to five words to form a sentence.
"The way she uses words to communicate and the words she's combining is really similar to a 2-year-old child," says Hunger, who is sharing Stella's progress on her blog, Hunger For Words and Instagram.
Christina said that Stella loves learning how to speak too, and when she first mastered "Walk", she said it all the time.
"I didn't realize how much she was waiting to say it," Hunger said.
Hunger hopes to continue teaching Stella more words and eventually train other dogs to do the same.
"I think how important dogs are to their humans," Hunger said. "I just imagine how much deeper the bond will be."
