A Little More Existentialism From Bunny The Talking Dog | What About Bunny

[@jz4057]

Bunny: if we are not human together, then you are dog with me.

[@sisyphusmarble8460]

🥰

[@nalathenoodlegator7435]

Love it!!!!

[@carlosalvarez4255]

You’re gonna make me cry!!

[@qwanyin6423]

Bunny right.

[@jz4057]

We can only wish that everyone we love think the same as bunny. That we are one and the same, no other way about it!

[@annak.9483]

I'm an early childhood educator, and how Bunny is trying to communicate, the things she wants to talk about etc. really remind me of the way 2-3 year olds try to grasp and contextualize their world and their surroundings. The you/me thing, the "what am I? what are you?", the hundreds of questions... it's fascinating.

[@blackberry8615]

awww

[@richardallen6066]

It's fascinating, but it makes me really sad. Would you really want Bunny to figure out what she is relative to the world she inhabits? She'd need to teach the dog a lot more words, but I think a level of understanding could be achieved.

[@stefangamble2637]

I believe dog brains at their most mature level are similar to 2-3 year olds.

[@hawhafunnyraffs5568]

@@richardallen6066 Why is your world view so grim and painful then? We are both tiny creatures, but only you believe the reality of all of creation is something to... That it is a source of pain and desire.

[@cl22396]

@@stefangamble2637 except there have been studies that show their social understanding is equivalent to that of teenagers (because of evolutionary wolf hierarchies, etc.). So it depends on the type of knowledge

[@kduf6720]

I took this to be a misunderstanding of how both of you can be "I" AND "you", that's a really confusing concept. it makes a lot of sense that "mom" says "I human" and Bunny repeats "I human", thinking the "I" means "mom", only to be told she's wrong and gets confused

[@inonil309]

Exactly what i was thinking. I and Mom confusing is going on. If they use names ' mom' and ' bunny' i think it's good. Bunny and Mom make everyone's days Bright....

[@IlGattonero13]

K Duf: Exactly. These pronouns are confusing; their meaning changes depending on the perspective (speaker). How is Bunny made to understand that she (and her mom) can be both "I" and "you" depending on who's "talking"? Why not use proper names each time to identify the subject more clearly?

[@Thecodexnoir]

Yep. That’s what I saw too. She needs to incorporate touching and pointing to teach her better. I and you is a complicated idea to teach without using either of those things.

[@lifewithlulu1183]

Also she may want to become human. Like "how do I human?"

[@peterc4056]

Like Daffy duck said, PRONOUN TROUBLE.

[@bobbuethe1477]

This is like an Abbott and Costello routine. "I human. You dog." "No, I human, you dog." "THAT'S WHAT I SAID!"

[@bobbuethe1477]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIuYp6amqLOGZ8km44s

[@emmettbattle5728]

love abbott and costello lmaooo

[@Clepto_and_Co]

Same as you! Same as you!!!

[@sinderella23]

😂😂😂

[@God-T]

this isn't good th Dog getting clever

[@theglem4]

It seemed like she could not accept that she and Mom are not the same thing. She's like "Bunny dog, so Mom dog," and then you're saying, "No, Mom human," and she said, "Oh, okay, so Bunny human, too."

[@androkguz]

Actually, I think it was more of a problem of understanding what "I" and "you" mean. When mom says "I" it means "mom" and when she says "you" it means "bunny" So mom says "I human" But bunny doesn't get that "I" is a relavite pronoun. She thinks "I" is mom. So she repeats "I is human" Mom then says "no. I is human" further confusing her. "you are dog" Ok, so "you" is what? "mom" or "bunny"? It depends on who says "you", but that's hard to grasp

[@lore9753]

I interpreted it exactly as you did...to her, if Mom is "human" then Bunny is "human", if Bunny is "dog" then Mom is "dog". Heartbreaking if only humans categorize someone in their family as an "other" and animals who live with us do not make that distinction. Goes back to a comment I made when Bunny first started on her existential quest. Does she view her Mom and Dad as parent figures/family or roommates who feed her? I think this video may answer that question...Bunny sees herself, Mom and Dad as family.

[@theglem4]

@@androkguz It's hard to say how strong her grasp on "you" and "I" are at this point. If it's not that strong, then you might very well be right. If she does have a strong grasp, then it might be what I said. Honestly, I can see it going either way.

[@katgenn-winkler1754]

She's been processing that for awhile now, that I've seen in these videos.

[@bonbonpony]

An to add to the confusion, there's also "animal" :P That's like an abstraction of an abstraction ;q

[@DaveG207]

I absolutely love that she could communicate that she was basically home sick and missing ‘Dad’…and at the same time it breaks my heart a little. Imagine if Bunny couldn’t communicate that to you, which I guess happens normally for a pet at these moments. “I feel homesick but have no way to tell you” 💔

[@OliveJuice023]

Hmm interesting concept. Do dogs feel upset when they can’t communicate their homesickness? Or does the ability to communicate that emotion make it more difficult? I don’t have buttons to communicate with my dog but am very in tune with his emotions and body language. So if he is upset I can usually tell and give him comforts. So begs to question, are we not communicating via nonverbal cues? And if they have been taught to communicate emotions with words then are they more frustrated because they can’t express the emotion fully because they aren’t fluent in spoken language? But they are fluent in body language. Just me thinking out loud 🤔

[@DaveG207]

@@OliveJuice023 Really interesting points! It makes me think of that element that the more we think about something the stronger the emotions can be, so would the element of being able to communicate something make it stronger, or would it make it easier (as we often find it easier once we tell someone how we’re feeling). This all raises some fascinating things to ponder. (And just to be clear, I’m in no way suggesting that working with Bunny to help her communicate is doing any harm!)

[@OliveJuice023]

@@DaveG207 yeah I completely agree! I don’t think think teaching Bunny language is harmful at all! But the concept of language is fascinating! Like my dog doesn’t have to think about, what words do I use to communicate what i want . He just does a little dance or paws at the food bowl and I know oh he wants to go out or he wants food. Those behaviors I think come more natural than having to think about words. If he has words then he has to narrow down the exact feeling he’s feeling in order to choose a word and communicate it.

[@DaveG207]

@@OliveJuice023 I love that owners can learn their own pet’s personal body language, just lovely!

[@OliveJuice023]

@@DaveG207 I agree! I think that’s what makes dogs so great! Dogs and humans are both capable of understanding each other so well even though we are so different!

[@SharonLougheed]

Haha It seems so tricky to teach "I" and "you" because it seems that the definitions switch when you say it vs. when Bunny says it. But it does seem like she's starting to understand that "I" and "you" are relative terms. Maybe have a conversation between you and Dad using the buttons "I" and "you" while Bunny listens, to reinforce those meanings in a less confusing way.

[@SarahBertaglia]

That's a great idea, that Mom and Dad have a conversation that Bunny can listen to and watch, but not participate in. 💡

[@bonbonpony]

Pronouns are replacements for nouns, so it might help to say two sentences in a row with the same basic structure, just in one there would be a noun, and in the other one there would be a pronoun at the same position, as the only element that changes. Such contrasting can help to see which word changes and which stay the same, and understand that one of them can stand for the other. If that word repeats in many similar sentences, replacing different nouns, I think she might get it that way.

[@SharonLougheed]

@@bonbonpony Yep, definitely. Something like this? Mom: I Mom. I human. You Dad. You human. You Bunny. You dog. Dad: I Dad. I human. You Mom. You human. You Bunny. You dog. And yeah it can happen with just Mom and Bunny, just helps to see "you" used for other people. (Edit: I confused myself haha)

[@monadyne]

Trying to teach "I" and "you" at the conceptual level - - from one rational intellect to another - - would be challenging to say the least, but my guess is that Bunny is picking these terms up the same way very young children do: from hearing the them in context. A child doesn't need to learn specific verb declensions to get it that "Me are going with Mommy" sort of 'sounds wrong' compared to "I am going with Mommy." The child makes his/her own adjustments as abilities expand.

[@SharonLougheed]

@@monadyne Sure yeah, I think Bunny is already learning a lot just from context in natural conversation. But sometimes it does help to break things down to get rid of any confusion.

[@zeusssonfire]

Adorable. Former ESL kindergarten teacher here: I realize both of these are pretty major concepts, but if she learned to count and learned the word/body part leg then she could learn that dogs have 4 legs and humans have 2 legs as a simple way of differentiating between the two.

[@celticcheetah6371]

4 legs good, 2 legs baaaaaaad

[@juliaconnell]

That is a very useful and helpful response - from an expert with a relevant background.. just an unfortunate reference to Animal Farm by George Orwell - as already noted '4 legs good, 2 legs baaaaad' very very bad, wicked, evil - both alarming & a little bit funny (mostly alarming!) 😱😂

[@jimmybryan6760]

Hmmm, except that hoomins got 4 legs too, just walkie on 2

[@molly-zx9cr]

What cat hmmm? (This would work great except they have a cat too. Not sure how to differentiate that with numbers or legs?)

[@juliaconnell]

@@jimmybryan6760 hmm methinkist confusion twixt feet and handsies 🦶👐

[@Nothingatall1984]

What an interesting conversation. It’s like she’s insisting on being human or trying to grasp the difference in species. It’s so interesting and mildly heartbreaking at the same time

[@donnajocatlady3839]

100%

[@daffodilunderhill7066]

Adding an Animal button is a good idea. Both Bunny and Mom are Animals so Bunny can feel the connection.

[@celaestisamory1834]

And also if they add the buttons for "featherless," "bipedal," and "chicken!"

[@Zoro-IX]

You’re the only one who got that same thought as me. Yeh. Bunny was trying to ask why she and her aren’t the same since they are both “animals”. Not understanding the concept of species. In some cultures, humans aren’t considered animals. Anyway.. Then, if she’s a human = animal And bunny is dog = animal, why not human = dog 😅😂 He called her human friend just like his dog friend. That was cute

[@Campocosas]

Say not to #specist #humansupremacist We are one , we are animals

[@TheRogueWolf]

"So how do I be human, Mom? Do I fill out a form or something?"

[@cherylackermann7239]

😂

[@Ok20066Real]

lol

[@BlackSeranna]

This is exactly what Bunny wants, to be the same as mom.

[@lairdofpawblins]

This reminds me of a fantasy concept I read on a Tumblr post once, where someone proposed a world in which elves "reproduce" by just adopting an animal and teaching it to be a person, eventually teaching it magic so it can transform into an elf. I like the idea that Bunny is learning to become a human. lol

[@God-T]

if u look on th internet you'll come across a story about a monkey, thinking it was human... the people doing experiments to test its intelligence by putting it in a human environment, but the test failed, and they gave up on it in the end the monkey had PTSD from the confusion... its pretty fuck up

[@cjtodd9381]

“Beached isn’t available” I love how serious Mom is about making play dates for Bunny!

[@deedee2231]

Well, she can because she knows exactly what bunny what’s.lol

[@nalathenoodlegator7435]

Right!!! Omg I feel like such a terrible dog Mom because I don’t make play dates!

[@hughmann6300]

Well yeah, you've got to respect her. You can't just teach an animal to express itself, and then ignore it when it does. You have to listen, otherwise there'd be no point.

[@rokukou]

"Hey, Bunny told me she wants to play with Beacher"

[@Jackoff_icial]

I know right, lol. I keep imagining her calling up the neighbor like "hey, bunny asked for beacher, is he free right now?"

[@RK-it9jb]

It's probably confusing and upsetting for Bunny to be told that she's not like Mum.

[@nichollsalazar6413]

That's what it sounds like to me too.

[@distone2480]

She probably just means she can communicate just like a human. But also that too. But it’s only a year old. So itll get there soon enough. This is such a good study. It will be a new thing for dogs to learn.

[@guypierson5754]

I think more confusing is "I" vs "You". She is Bunny. Mom is Mom. Sometimes tho, Mom is I, and Bunny is You. But when Bunny uses "I" to mean Mom and "you" to mean Bunny, that's wrong, but that is how Mom uses them, she can't grasp relative terms yet.

[@theRealCrazyOne]

It's also really confusing and upsetting for toddlers to learn that they're not mom. A lot of psychological growth/development of self happens as a result of the beginning of that realization though. I'm wonder what all of this will mean for Bunny one day!!!

[@guypierson5754]

@@theRealCrazyOne Are we going to break dogs? Their love of the unity of the pack and group success is their most endearing trait, if we give them a self of sense will they stop being such good workers?

[@chisaki_005]

I love how she called you "human beacher" since both you and him are her friends

[@lore9753]

Exactly!!

[@pomponi0]

Could it be that she was referring to Beacher's human?

[@bonbonpony]

@@pomponi0 We won't know unless they introduce possessives :J

[@grayhatjen5924]

@@bonbonpony My mind is still blown that we're talking about a pupper learning possessive pronouns. I've always been Team Dogs Are Smarter Than We Know/Think but never ever did I think any off the non-human animals would be this far into language.

[@grayhatjen5924]

@@pomponi0 I absolutely was wondering this.

[@grayhatjen5924]

The speed that Bunny is absorbing these words and putting them into practice continues to leave me gobsmacked. I mean, she's using WE, y'all. I just... That is such a BIG DEAL.

[@that.ll_do_pig]

Her body language matched exactly what she was saying in the first clip. That release of frustration with the big yawn before going to finally settle.

[@user-or1ye3iz6d]

Every time she wants to be the same as you but learns that she's different, it breaks my heart a little bit. She doesn't care if she's a dog or a human, she just wants to be the same as you. I love her sooo much. ❤️❤️❤️

[@zagork78]

It's soooo moving to witness her trying to process these existential topics...

[@rorybisson756]

Bunny is clearly human. i dont know why there is confusion lol. she only said it 3 or 4 times lol. i loved her asking for Beacher and she clearly loves her dad.

[@wordswritteninred7171]

Just like any child. Wants to be the same as their parents. This is so fascinating, to know what dogs contemplate. And to think, some people are still denying it! They can’t accept just how intelligent dogs truly are!

[@shadowflower22]

not just dogs. All animals are highly intelligent, especially cows and pigs

[@wordswritteninred7171]

@@shadowflower22 yes! Could not agree more!

[@arianelcole]

Wait untill she learns calculus!!

[@phoenixomega806]

@@arianelcole That would be so funny to try to teach to a dog! "So... if this is number, and that is number, and they both are number, what's the difference? Aren't they both number?"

[@gotohellimp]

dogs don't see humans as 'parents' they see us as part of the pack tho

[@taramartin4850]

I wonder if bunny ever gets frustrated that she has to physically go over to the buttons to make conversation instead of being able to just speak out loud like Mom and Dad

[@rs5570]

Some day soon I believe I will be in a place where I can communicate fully with all my animals who I believe will be waiting for me.

[@Anisky123]

@@rs5570In ten years they will have devices. 😂

[@pismobiics825]

She wanted to go home to dad and settle meant "going home to our nest".

[@Mr2Reviews]

Or she could have been asking if that new place was their new settlement or permanent home.

[@rebeccaarcher3851]

Maybe “mom human, bunny dog” without the pronouns? But she seems so confident as she presses those buttons in order. It really looks like she gets it. It also reminds me of the three year old that I nanny. He will ask the same question over and over and over again even though he “knows“ the answer. It is like he is laying it down stronger each time to be certain.

[@onemanarmy36]

Well, humans do learn best through repetition, and I’m certain that is especially true for young children.

[@heliotaxis]

Those personal pronouns are tricky, especially for non-neurotypical people... which I am pretty sure a talking dog would count as. I remember going over activities to help me with them as a kid (I am autistic), so you might want to look for them. May be helpful.

[@mountainkimmie]

That's a really good idea!

[@AuntBibby]

the buttons bunny uses _ARE_ based on AAC autism assistance keyboards, after all

[@cdogthehedgehog6923]

@@AuntBibby Oh neat, didn't know that.

[@SD-de4do]

I and you are silly words. Autism is pure.

[@lemonlemonlemonlemonlemonlemo]

i love that.. a talking dog being technically neurodivergent……

[@paulamunhoz]

You’re not friend. You’re family. It’s different from Beacher. She wants to know that you belong together like a pack. I think that’s what she aims to ensure

[@brekezek]

I think so too.

[@stardolphin783]

Dogs are social and pack creature so im getting shes like well " either were all dogs or were all humans or i am both because we are friends"

[@rbbecker73]

I wonder if the "human Beacher you" was her trying to tell you to call Beacher's human to make a playdate.

[@bonniesensai]

i think it was like human: beacher and you ?

[@1TutorialBoss]

I think this is bunny finally saying "damn it answer my question. What is a dog!?"

[@Light44Silk]

A human .

[@magiv4205]

"I am sick of your vague excuses!"

[@000Krim]

A friend

[@samwallaceart288]

Honestly, it's a fair question.

[@ggEmolicious]

Dog is love.

[@radagil6672]

Is it possible that Bunny is confused about pronouns "I/you"? Isn't it easier and more convenient to use names?

[@charjl96]

Good suggestion. I hope she tries the same exercise with names. I'm curious how it turns out.

[@Annie_Annie__]

I was thinking this. This is why human toddlers frequently talk about themselves (and everyone in their orbit) in the third person for quite a while. Because pronouns are really tricky to grasp at first.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

@@Annie_Annie__ do they? Dear god... I'd never heard of that.

[@majorgnu]

Yeah, they're confusing because they're relative to the speaker and that's a hard concept to grasp. I remember having trouble understanding left and right as a child because no one had bothered to explain that they were relative, so I was assuming them to be absolute and kept getting confused at why people kept changing the direction they pointed to for left and right, seemingly at random.

[@Mr2Reviews]

@@majorgnu Yeah, we have to keep clarifying by saying YOUR left or MY left. I remember being confused about this too growing up.

[@lancecarrauthers9713]

I’m on deployment, and I miss my dog so much! You’re channel brings me so much joy! I love this so much! Thank you so much

[@tabularasa]

Seeing the growth of vocabulary has been amazing, but these existential conversations are my favorites. I'm so amused by this dog animal 🐶

[@Baskerville1000]

I am absolutely amazed that Bunny is capable of getting to the level of self-reflection to even understand or be interested in these conversations. This is just incredible for a canine. To differentiate between the names of different toys is one thing but to question the own identity is a huge step. I am also puzzeld that most people seem to find that to be not worth to mention or to wonder about. I mean I grew up with dogs and I am their biggest fan, but I never assumed this level of communication would be possible.

[@mandelynwelch8952]

She understands you’re her mom so that means either you both are human or dog lol but definitely not different. So cute ❤️

[@_just_looking_thank_you]

Those pronouns are tough to crack. Wondering if pointing would help. And perhaps with Dad’s help, so that you could all be examples of “I” and “you”.

[@scotty2hotty232]

That’s brilliant also 69 thumbs up. Nice!

[@charjl96]

I'm not a professional, but that seems like good advice.

[@FlameEmber]

Good advice! Though Bunny is pretty good with the pronouns actually.. what she's been consistently struggling with is the concept that Bunny, Mom, Dad, and her friends are different things. The sweetest existential problem of all! So that's why she added the word "animal" for Bunny. To give a common identity in "animal" and help ease the existential discomfort in being different from each other. It's been quite a bit but... as you can see Bunny is still not accepting this concept of 'different but same' yet... 🐶💃

[@charyinvic]

This is like the scene in the movie Enemy Mine!!! When the alien kid was trying to understand why he was not like uncle. Species understanding!!!!!

[@tiffanyhackerspace8377]

@@charyinvic Yes, Zammis, the son of the enemy!!! I loved that movie!!!

[@deer105]

We've figured out before dogs could communicate with words they have an emotional need to know where they are in a clear hierarchy and to know what their job is. I feel like Bunny is probably communicating that question because it's important to her.

[@Viragomp]

I found this quite touching. It seemed to me that Bunny wanted you both categorized the same: either you must be a dog like her or she's a human like you. Awww....❤

[@PC-kc4lw]

I think Bunny wants Mom to settle on the floor with her so that they could relax together and talk. Maybe a hug would be comforting to Bunny while she's struggling with these big concepts! I hear Bunny trying to understand "Family or Pack" & some of Moms responses sound like Mom is distancing Bunny from her.

[@anhelika5470]

❤❤❤❤По-моему здесь произошло то, что должно в корне изменить наше понимание в отношении животных. Это своего рода Революция!)

[@thevampirelover]

She's so confident with the buttons here! - it's cool how you can see her really get a hang of them as tools across the videos. I also really love how hard she's working - she genuinely seems to like communicating with you through the buttons (and what a good thing that she can come settle with you when she misses home and dad

[@lily_white]

When Beacher can't play and you play with Selena instead, does Bunny understand that he's not available so you'll play Selena instead or does she think you're not understanding what she wants?

[@goldiefatale]

Why did this make me just a bit sad. She just wants to be like mom.

[@bethcook1166]

Kind of BREAKS MY ❤.....JUST a little!🌸😌

[@lynnplesetz6472]

Wonder since she is still a pup if she thinks she will be like mom some day.

[@goldiefatale]

I just saw these replies. KZbin doesn't alert me. Sorry!

[@dmeblue]

You should add the word "family" because that is what you and bunny really are

[@prioritea.merchant]

Oh my gosh it's so CLEAR to me what's going on here. Bunny is searching for this unified/shared identity, intimacy, closeness, sameness. Her lovely, brilliant owner is stressing the differences between them-- "Human Animal" vs. "Dog Animal" and Bunny is just searching for the "WE". What an exceptional endeavour!

[@denisesheehan9189]

Oh my, I am still teaching my kindergartens living things like animals and humans versus non-living things! You are amazing, Bunny!

[@Just-Nikki]

She fills my heart with happiness 🥰

[@ganeshamouse]

So adorable how she's figuring out the big questions! 😆 I get the impression she's teasing you at the end.

[@mamaK648]

She holds more intelligent conversations than most humans. I just love her! 🙌

[@mariahetszaz8567]

I love the fact that you said "human animal".

[@7ymlord]

Thank you for bringing us along on this amazing journey. It is my strong belief that we will one day be able to freely communicate with many if not all animals.

[@DolceVita]

Aww this was sooooo sweet ... she wants to be the same species as you whether you are both dogs or you are both humans... bless her socks

[@FannyLerouxTime]

I swear to dog, if I was having a few drinks, I could talk to bunny the whole night through the buttons! She is definitely more clever than we give her credit for. I really hope that soon there's research into this and they confirm this is how they talk with us!

[@VibhorWase]

I hope you don't get on her nerves drunk talking..lol.. That'd be a great experiment honestly..to see how dog animals react when human animals are abnormal 😜😘

[@FannyLerouxTime]

@@VibhorWase I probably would, she would probably demand pizza and a taxi home, but she's so cute, needs many hugs and I personally think, she needs an interview with a stranger. Alas, I'm not in the USA I'm in the UK and our dogs have to rely on the old WOOF and GRR to speak lol

[@DolphinsPlayingInAquaMoonlight]

"I swear to dog" Lol! Good one.

[@InimitaPaul]

This just doesn’t old! It’s absolutely captivating!

[@psleep4255]

Oh my goodness. What a precious angel. #bunnyobsessed!🐾❤️🙌🏻🥰🤗😊🐾

[@splunksplink]

this is absolutely incredible. your conversation with her about the dog animal human animal thing. she was trying to follow you and for the most part she did!!! this just amazes me! she’s learned so much!

[@Light44Silk]

Bunny's knows she speak with a human, and can be understand. So for her she is a dog with a human spirit.

[@Annieisnthome]

Aww, "we settle" with a frustrated yawn. Bunny gets it. With as a many buttons as she has now, by her 4th birthday she'll have a giant typewriter :D

[@paulaOyeah]

Dad human animal. Mom human animal. Bunny dog animal. Beacher dog animal. Selena dog animal. Maybe listing within categories will help? More associations, more opportunities to comprehend. 😁 Seriously thinking of doing my PhD on something along this line. Thank you! 💜☺️

[@KatharineOsborne]

Good luck with your PhD! Bringing up the cat too would be a good example, plus bringing up non-animals to help make the categories more clear (like pointing to plants or objects). I also wonder how much more you could expand a dog’s experience by watching TV or showing them other media. Dogs apparently can see and make sense of LED displays (they couldn’t make sense of CRTs because of the refresh rate of the scan lines; so for a long time people assumed it wasn’t possible for dogs to make sense of 2D images, but that’s not the case). Showing them bits of nature documentaries or recorded video of themselves and discussing the animals on a button board I think could be quite fascinating.

[@markuswelander8551]

The real struggle comes when bunny meets a bunny called dog.

[@Syeleiswatching]

@@markuswelander8551 I think you'd have to call it a rabbit 🐰🐇

[@JMA864]

@babydollgoddess Seriously, there are going to be soooo many theses written on this! It’s two years later; if you see this, did you end up doing your PhD on Bunny?? Hope so!

[@melissanichols2563]

Oh my god that is a BEAUTIFUL OES!! And so smart to know all of those words and communicate them!!! New pawrenting goals, right there!!

[@KatharineOsborne]

This makes me feel a bit sad. I’m worried that she feels ‘less than’ by being a dog (clearly she is describing herself as human, so I wonder how she places human in relation to dog). I don’t think she is not understanding the label of dog, just that she thinks she doesn’t fit that label. And do all dogs more or less consider themselves as human, given their close familial relationship with us? And frankly if this video is not an argument to protect the rights of sentient species (including dogs, great apes, elephants, dolphins, and probably a bunch of other species we are currently not comfortable classifying as sentient), then I don’t know what is.

[@OG_Wonder_Woman]

Yes, I agree. My dog Jezebelle was extremely intelligent and she wasn't around dogs as a puppy (once she left her mother at 6 weeks old). I raised her as my baby and spoke to her constantly. She had a very well developed sense of self, recognized herself (and me) in a mirror, and had a vast vocabulary. It was hard to keep secrets, lol. She even recognized herself in photos, which she enjoyed posing for. She clearly considered herself a human, not a dog. She treated humans as peers, but not dogs. And why not? She wore clothes like a human sometimes, slept in my bed like a human, and ate 'human' food I cooked and served to her. She understood the family unit, too- including 2 humans, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. We adopted another dog, and she observed me treating that dog as my baby, and then followed suit. I asked her about this, are you a dog, are you a human, and she answered me very clearly (non-verbal, she would answer yes or no by wagging her tail for yes and stopping or lowering her tail for no). Just like Bunny did here. Jezzie also played hide and seek, a pretty complex game for a dog, and had individual names for many toys. Most interesting, she understood a toy could be called 'toy' and mean ANY of her toys, or be called 'doggie' and be any of her stuffed dog toys, or be called 'brown doggie' for that specific toy. Bunny wants to be like Mom and Dad, just like any child, and just like my Jezzie did. I so wish she had these buttons, I could've had such great talks with her (even more so than we did).

[@triggerme6144]

Dogs consider humans as family. They don't really understand the concept of being a species. It could be that dogs think all creatures are dogs, yet they wouldn't state it like that. Instead they would look as it as individuals. Just because humans look alike, it doesn't mean we are a pack, a.k.a. even though we are all bipedal, a dog would still consider a human as a dog or visa versa, because we care for them and they care for us and therefore we are family and thus a pack. However as far as your animal rights are concerned. To a dog, that is a concept with escapes them as it does with most carnivorous or omnivorous animals. A dog will kill and eat another dog. To humans, we will kill each other, but only in extreme conditions will a human eat another human. A fog and other animals have atleast a spark of what we would consider a soul, but it is not the same.

[@amicableenmity9820]

The inability for dogs to see the difference between themselves and humans is so pure. We'd probably be better off as humans if we thought more like that. Also interesting, because when people get high on shrooms they feel a sense of oneness. I think animals are closer to that than we are. I say close, because a dog still knows that a squirrel is for chasing and (maybe) food, but it doesn't see a friend that way.

[@anhelika5470]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@BlackguynamedMason]

This is so sad. Making the dog aware must be so sad depressing for him!

[@NiaLin]

Clearly Bunny identifies as a human 😄

[@colleens1878]

I think the whole human race would be better off if more were like bunny 🐾🐾💕

[@stardolphin783]

She really could since she may see her family as one of her you know? She may see the relatedness in terms of pack or social group , which could really open up exploration of species as a social identity

[@NiaLin]

@@colleens1878 I see we are kindred spirits in preferring dogs/animals to people 😁

[@hendrikusscherphof7348]

@@colleens1878 I text like bunny, does that count?

[@NiaLin]

@@stardolphin783 I think so too.

[@briahnadeanda5574]

I haven't watched one of Bunny's videos in a few months and OH BOY it is SCARY how well she can talk now! Dog making simple sentences but asking big questions! My mind is blown

[@Road_Rash]

This dog is so amazing...I've seen lots of videos of other dogs & even a few cats who are doing this same thing, but not one of them is as fluent as Bunny...Bunny is the only one that I've seen so far that's reached this level of complex communication & she can make longer sentences than any of the others that I've seen, who generally only do one to three word statements, which is certainly impressive for a dog, but she just excels at it...so amazing! The cats I've seen do good to do one word...either cats aren't as clever as dogs, or they just put minimal effort into it...Lol!

[@EmilySmirleGURPS]

My money is on minimal effort :D no need to waste time and effort walking around and pressing more buttons if one does the trick. Who needs to copy humans anyways? LOL

[@IlGattonero13]

@Road Rash's Redline Resto Rods: I don't think cats are less intelligent, but they're definitely less interested in pleasing humans than dogs are. Some people confuse docility with intelligence, but cats might be actually more clever in the sense that they do only what they like!

[@DaveG207]

I wonder whether there’s also an effort / reward element for cats. It struck me recently that Bunny can often just stand still and reach many different buttons by just moving her paw. For the cats I’ve seen they have to walk to the next button, as they are smaller animals. If I had to do that I’d probably stick to as few words as possible to communicate. Just guessing though!

[@terriem3922]

That's because she's part poodle

[@alexia3552]

It's so heartwarming seeing her zoom around and play

[@doan2300]

its sweet how much bunny wants to sit and relax next to you. also, she asked for a specific doggy friend, aww ^_^ she's really trying to learn the whole human/dog thing. from what she was asking, it sounds like she is not quite sure if 'dog' and 'human' are mutually exclusive or not. which makes sense if you're essentially a small child still learning what a dog and a human are.

[@mackme1465]

Naturally children come to the point in their lives when the ask the question who created me? What is my purpose? Then the adults come and explain the God concept away and introduce something that makes no sense whatsoever. Bunny may be getting to that crossroad.

[@bridgetjones8339]

This is all so amazing and interesting and revealing. Thank you for sharing this with us! My dog is 3 years old. He was a rescue. I have seen our bond deepen more and more. This past year was very significant. Sometimes it surprises me how connected we are.

[@ramengirl983]

I’ll be dog for her 😫🥺

[@anushkalols]

Awww she's a lil confused but she's got the spirit. What a brilliant doggo. Bless her pure heart💖

[@mirrorimage1761]

Bunny was a human in the past life but is now trying to communicate that fact

[@bonbonpony]

That would be the most astounding outcome of such experiment, for sure.

[@lynnplesetz6472]

Wow!!! Plot twist. 😍

[@cherylackermann7239]

Love it 😂

[@Marth667]

@@bonbonpony Buddhism here I come!

[@RachelJamesS_]

I would tap bunny to see if it makes a difference, because I genuinely think the “I am” is being translated to “Bunny is”. When I say and “You” or “I” would tap either me or bunny. If my husband is around we could sit and only speak with buttons using this same concept so bunny fully understands “you” and “I”. I think he would fully pick up the concept if he saw humans interchangeably using “you” and “I” with the buttons and using touch to identify who is “you/I”

[@firesofcreation]

Amazing!! This could help animals get more protections like human rights!

[@dragonjoy1313]

She just makes me cry, so precious!

[@16poetisa]

Everyone's impressed with the "I" vs "you" difficulty but I'm more intrigued by "we" because it's not just plural, but an extension of oneself to those around you.

[@PC-kc4lw]

Yes! She's really asking about belonging

[@onemanarmy36]

Dogs are pack animals, so this would come naturally to them.

[@sarawitt834]

I get emotional when I think of the real capacity for sentience and emotional brilliance, that dogs have. The behavioral issues that dissolve when we can let them communicate (and vice versa) makes me so sad for the dogs that don't have a human that understands their capacity for understanding and existential thought. Can you imagine?? It would be like being trapped in one's own body with no way to express your needs or discomfort, or fears. Bunny is so wonderful to watch. I have a great dane pup, (first non-rescue dane I've ever had. got him at 8 weeks and hes a year now), and as a Behavioral Neuroscience nerd, I have been sooooo rewarded by the connection that knowing what he is capable of, has spawned between us. Really considering getting him some of these basic word buttons to see if I can get him to sort them out.

[@Historian212]

Bunny seems to feels that she and her Mom must be in the same category. So sweet.

[@patmaurer8541]

Every time I see animals communicate with humans, I'm amazed at how thoughtful they are; they wonder about themselves and about us. How we treat them says a lot about us.

[@biar1738]

1:34 - 3:33 omg! this conversation 😂👌

[@christinehill4491]

This reminds me of a conversation about dogs that I had with one of my students once. I was asking her why dogs were different from other animals, and she finally yelled, "Dogs are people." I agree with her and with Bunny.

[@susanforbush5322]

I agree. Bunny is trying to say that she and Mom are People.

[@TeamTrainWreck]

Something I've been very curious of ever since discovering your channel: Can Bunny identify different animals through illustration? You ought to get a book of different types of animals, sit down with her and see if she can learn to discern between hand-drawn illustrations and their real-world counterparts.

[@awesomesmasher999ftw4]

Yes, she can. She called a seal a water hippo. She has a hippo toy.

[@petabulmer7345]

It's very interesting that Bunny wants to know about these things. It helps give a voice to what animals may want to know but can never ask without a Fluent Pet device!

[@drewmadenew3000]

Im in the middle of an existential crisis too. I did a VERY high DMT ceremony with a Shaman and spent centuries living out a life on another world as a completely different being. Spent decades building a family, a career, retired, travelled, got sick with a disease, and as I was living out my final seconds in that other life, I woke back up on Earth as me and 14 minutes had passed. I brought back all the memories, the love for that family, the pain of that existence, and seemingly none of it was real, bit it was SO REAL that I no longer feel like this reality is real. The whole point of the ceremony was to heal my depression, and it worked, but I brought back a whole new problem. The Universe and reality is a lot bigger and stranger than we can see with our eyes. This "reality" is just an illusion. Peel back the filter by taking DMT and suddenly a completely different layer of reality is revealed. Dont say its all in your head until you try it. Its not hallucination. 😊

[@robynshillinger4001]

It might be that when Bunny uses ‘dog animal’ it’s about being part of her pack and not about being different. Like saying we’re family with someone you’re unrelated to.

[@samuelmasar3463]

I think the fact that bunny can structure a question, ask and talk… maybe it’s making a joke?

[@NeoMorphUK]

Translation: Bunny: “But mom, I wanna be a human. When can I be a human like you?”

[@evifnoskcaj]

Awwwe, Bunny called you their human and wanted you to call Beacher's human! 😮❤ They do think of us as their human! Such a smart and sweet pupper!

[@mylesorsomething]

she’s getting too smart

[@Nothingatall1984]

It won’t be long now....😂

[@kenny6920]

Return

[@lisaspikes4291]

I love how you can see Bunny thinking about things. She really is a thinker! Some dogs aren’t that deep.

[@elenimijalis1168]

Bunny is so smart! What a lovely creature. I'm wondering.. could Bunny be confusing "I" when you press it (referring to yourself) vs when she presses it (referring to herself)?

[@diona5885]

Just finding Bunny and what if her having anxiety is because she realizes her and mom are not the same species, therefore, causing her to question where her real family is 😭

[@Zye1984]

I think she may be getting confused on what "I" refers to, since it could be referring to her or you. Also, I was thinking maybe add a word or phrase that means the end of a question. "Use your words" seems to work. When you ask a question, it looks like she is looking for you to keep talking, as she will stare at you for a while before trying to answer.

[@diannamallar1155]

Billi's (Billi Speaks) Mom uses "hmmm" to indicate a question.

[@KatharineOsborne]

I think Bunny has a hmm? button too but it doesn’t get used nearly as much as Billi’s. I also think that Bunny needs some time to think (less than Billi) so that can account for some of the pause time. Both Bunny and Billi will walk away and loop back before answering sometimes (more so Billi).

[@diannamallar1155]

@@KatharineOsborne Thanks! I thought maybe she did, but couldn't quite remember. Billi's does get used quite a bit.

[@midnight1on123]

Bunny has stolen my heart 💜 Thank you for sharing this makes my day,I haven’t really smiled since I lost my mom in January.Thank you🌹

[@nicoladequincey9422]

Love Bunny. Maybe she needs a "family" button.

[@griftingnightmares]

next it'll be sneaking cigarettes in the garage and raking up an overwhelming bill of microtransactions on your phone

[@Seamasr2112]

I think she was worried that you were going to leave her there and she would settle there without you.

[@cherylackermann7239]

I can't stop watching this one. Bunny seems to actually be questioning what she is, what you are and why are you different. I look forward to more of Bunny's thoughts. She is so beautiful

[@raffila]

Hard to watch because I keep thinking that Bunny wants to be same as mom. She wants to be more than friends. She wants mom and her to be the same species. Dog or human. She wished to be matched up with mom. Am I only one interpreting it like that?

[@hansonel]

This is absolutely amazing and completely facsinating teaching Bunny words to communicate. I'm not that well versed with animal intelligence but differenting that you are human and they are a dog is a high level concept. You could almost see Bunny trying to wrap her mind around it.

[@deawinter]

“I” and “you” have gotta be so hard (relative pronouns is a heck of a thing even for babies) but she’s trying! Sweet smart girl.

[@victoriagrey1600]

This sweet baby trying to say you are the same in her mind. The more this sweetie learns, you can see some of the soul crushing realizations on her face. I think I would have to lie and just say yes 🥺

[@apolloisnotashirt]

it's scary but at the same time cool to see bunny question her existence.

[@mackme1465]

It would be interesting to see how she would react to a God-Creater concept.

[@devodavis6747]

I just love watching Bunny break new ground, literally every time I watch her. I studied psychology and I really feel like I'm witnessing history on a daily basis. It's wholesome & cute & exciting, all rolled into one. Plus, the What About Bunny comment section isn't nearly as good at harshing my mellow as almost all comment sections! All Bunny friend nice!

[@MitchGriff709]

Im following you across all platforms since last night...this is absolutely fascinating.

[@amyslowikgrossman835]

I wonder what a cognitive brain scan of Bunny with functional MRI would look like because she has such a developed language set and if it would look different from another dog her age that doesn't use the button system...🤔

[@eagillum]

Yesss. Like the language part of the brain.

[@SeeTheWholeTruth]

And now the circle is complete. First person, third person, self and others, identification. As expected so it has been shown, and can not be refuted the spirit is not only aware, but has fun with it as well. Bravo. Thank you for sharing.