ANN ARBOR, Mich. – I got this text from my sister Cara a few weeks ago:
“Call me crazy, but I think this would be a viral story: Parker Posey the talking dog,” the text read. “The dog lives in Ann Arbor. Its owner has taught it to speak using all these speak-and-spell word buttons on mats on the floor.”
Since we both love animal reels on Instagram, of course, I couldn’t pass this up. And sure enough, I found the adorable Parker Posey and her owner Sascha Crasnow along with a string of funny videos showing Parker’s ability to communicate.
While scrolling through, I looked down at my dog Tate next to me. Hmm, I wondered what he would say if he could talk?
And that’s why I knew this would be a story that pet owners would not only love but be totally fascinated with.
Parker Posey (Sascha loved the name, no relation to the actress!) is a two-and-a-half-year-old rescue dog and has learned a form of communication using audio buttons from a company called Fluent Pet.
It’s a method Sascha read about from the book “How Stella Learned to Talk.” It’s by speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger.
Parker has been learning buttons for just over 2 years and she knows 113 words.
Her favorites? “Poop” and “Potty,” both of which she sometimes uses humorously or just to get attention!
Is it really talking? It is, in a way. But Sascha sees it more as a communication tool to be able to understand Parker’s needs and wants. She says it helps her understand Parker’s body language even better when they are away from the buttons.
What’s really cool, Sascha has a camera on her wall that captures all of the button pad action -- so she can see Parker communicate even when she’s not around. And their interaction makes for hilarious social media posts!
I loved spending time with the two of them, and Parker is the sweetest pup -- here’s a pic of me and photographer/editor/producer Ben Bell with Parker. Tell us what you think of the story!