The Talking Dog

We humans have an odd way of looking at the animal that we describe as "Man's best friend".
Most of us acknowledge that they understand rather large bits of the verbiage that we bombard them with. Conversely, so many people do not listen to what our canine companions are saying to us.
My usual walk to work includes moments with the many Dogs I've made friends with along the route.
This morning, the first stop was for a small Bull Terrier friend that lives just down the street. As per usual, the weather in town was crappy. Snow. It's early May for crying out loud and it's stinkin' snowing!
"Butch", as I call him (Nice name for a Pit Bull, I would reckon.) didn't just want a pat on the head, or a Dog Biscuit. He wanted a sympathetic ear as well. (wags would infer from this that "Butch" would have enjoyed biting an ear off, more than having one to listen to him.)
He gave me a sob story that I fully understood, with his vocalisations and physical actions. "I'm lonely, the weather is horrid, play with me, why go off walking down the street when you see that I need companionship."
I've learned the meaning of many Canine vocalisations, over long years of being a Dog fancier,
telling "Nice to see ya" barks from "Stay the heck away!" ones and interpreting the sighs, whines and moans.
Some company in Japan has a hand-held "Dog Translator" in their product range. It has a microphone and imbedded software that compares the vocalisations of your (or somebody else's) pooch to wave-form examples in it's memory bank.
Now, you can happily splash out hard earned cash, to find out what "Bowser" is saying, or just learn by listening on your own.
I had to trudge on with the snow blowing directly in my face, this morning, but not without insuring my four legged friend that I would return soon to share a moment.
I'm positive that he understood me, perfectly.