UNDERSTANDING EINSTEIN, A BORDER COLLIE WHO TALKED

Book excerpt: “Out!” Who said that? Einstein, a brilliant Border Collie (aren’t all of them very smart?),has told his family he wants to go outside. He hit a prominent button with his paw that triggered this recorded message. The button is one of many buttons on a board that he can use to communicate and talk. “Food,” “water,” “come,” “dog,” “cat,” “fire,” ”yes,” “no,” “help!” and many more are in different sizes and shapes, giving him a limited, but valuable vocabulary after laborious training, as described by Christine Hunger in her ground-breaking documentary book, How Stella Learned to Talk. Einstein becomes a working dog -- a Therapy Dog --- having an important job and a knack for making himself understood even in a crisis. A crisis does arise. There is no romance for Einstein, but some humans seem likely to pair off once they get over some initial misunderstandings. A firebug generates too much warmth. Much happens in Riverview! Christine Hunger’s path-breaking work on training her dog, Stella, to communicate by hitting buttons on small recording devices opens the way to improved understanding between us and our dogs, many of whom have the intellectual abilities of young children. Border Collies, Shepherds, Poodles, and Retrievers are among the brightest breeds. Helen Bemis has enjoyed working with dogs all her life. She is grateful for the opportunity to help others understand these loving companions. Helen Bemis has enjoyed working with dogs all her life. She is grateful for the opportunity to help others understand these loving companions. She grew up on a dairy farm in Upper New York State. She obtained a college degree at SUNY Adirondack, earned the Certified Professional Dog Trainer international certification, and has a successful business, K-9 Karing. Helen has published almost twenty novels in her UNDERSTANDING… series. She loves to hear people say, “Helen has gone to the dogs.”