'Talking' Dog Bunny Keeps the Internet Hooked—and Questioning What Dogs Really Think

The Sheepadoodle who 'speaks' via push-button tech has four million fans hooked—and a whole wave of copycats testing their own pups

Talking dogs have escaped the storybooks. Fueled by button-aided communication and TikTok, a pack of remarkably clever canines is showing off its verb vocab—and leading the charge is reigning internet queen Bunny.

The irresistibly fluffy Sheepadoodle exploded to fame after owner Alexis Devine launched a quarantine-era account in June 2020. Alexis, an artist and jewelry designer in Tacoma, Washington, got the idea to train then-two-year-old Bunny after watching other lap dogs of legend—chief among them Stella. Speech pathologist Christina Hunger, Stella's human, is widely credited with popularizing assistive talking buttons for pets; her NYT bestseller How Stella Learned To Talk chronicles the whole playbook.

'We drew on a mountain of animal-language research: Koko, Kanzi, Washoe, Alex the Grey Parrot, border collies Chaser and Rico. Closest to home, Christina Hunger's Stella and Alexandre Rossi's Sophia—button talkers both,' Alexis tells Modern Dog.

'We started with one lonely 'outside' button by the door and zero expectations,' she explains. Bunny latched onto the system fast and loud: inside a year her TikTok passed four million followers, with nearly another million on Instagram. Call it official: Bunny is a bonafide celebrity.

'We began with a single door-side button that said "outside," expecting nothing.'

For Alexis the thrill was never Bunny's speed but her subject matter. 'The mind-bender isn't button count or learning pace—it's what she chooses to discuss. I'd have bet on walkies and squeaky toys; instead Bunny keeps drifting into deeper waters,' she adds.

Bunny's clips are genuinely jaw-dropping: in one, she strings together buttons to declare 'stranger paw'—flagging a mysterious something caught between her toes (a thorn, naturally).

And she doesn't stick to small talk about herself. Bunny has also shown a knack for, shall we say, probing personal inquiries aimed at Alexis and husband Johnny.

'There was a multi-month stretch where Bunny's big mission was calling out my husband mid-bathroom-break—sorry, Johnny!' Alexis laughs. 'She even dubbed farts "poop play" and asked point-blank where I poop. Hours of cringe comedy.'

It's safe to say the Sheepadoodle has blown past basic communication—inventing her own vocabulary along the way. 'I'm floored constantly…like she coined "night talk sleep" for "dream,"' Alexis says. She also came up with 'settle sound' to request quiet, and 'water hippo' for 'seal' (a favorite toy).

Remarkably, Alexis has zero dog-training pedigree. 'By any measure I'm unqualified to teach a dog to "talk,"' she laughs. 'No science degree, no trainer's license, not a speech pathologist—but I'm relentlessly curious and an artist, and I think that's let me think sideways with Bunny.'

'I'd expect a dog to yap about walkies and toys, but Bunny roams far deeper concepts.'

Bunny's been a 'clever, independent thinker' since day one; the dog lover brought her rescue—her instant BFF—home at eight weeks.

'I first met her at a month old, tucked in a whelping pen with her mom and all her siblings,' Alexis remembers.

'She was easily the runt and pure sass. Her mom flopped into my lap, and Bunny burrowed into the crook of my arm and stayed a solid two hours.' History, as they say. They've been glued to each other since—plenty of shared traits explaining it.

'Bunny is a deeply sensitive, pensive dog with enormous feelings she voices on and off the buttons. Like me she's an introvert who bonds fiercely,' says her human. 'Sweet and spicy all at once.'

Stardom was never on either's bingo card. 'It's been a wild, completely unpredicted ride,' Alexis says. 'Feedback ranges from gorgeous to gnarly and we're surfing through it. Through it all the goal hasn't moved—to go deeper into connection and conversation with a non-human animal.'

Fans have devoured Bunny's life updates, including one seismic change: new kid-sibling Otter. The standard Poodle has slotted straight into the crew, routine chaos and all.

'These days our rhythm is wall-to-wall play between them, but I carve out solo time for each; Bunny and I also chase something new at least three times a week on a fresh outing,' Alexis says. 'Lately we've been circling the outside of our local zoo chasing new sounds and smells. The howler monkeys partied the other day—one of the rare times I wished for travel buttons. Her face said it all.'

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Otter's been home since August 2021, though Alexis hasn't button-trained him yet. Still, the pup's already curious. 'He's pressed a few on his own, in contextually right spots. Wild to see how much he'll absorb just from watching Bunny,' she says.

Bunny's celebrity rocket keeps climbing, birthing a thriving YouTube channel and merch line at whataboutbunny.com. Fans can scoop hoodies, tees and accessories—and it doesn't end there. Bunny now partners with tech firm FluentPet, which lets owners build custom record-and-play buttons to deepen the pet-human bond. Bunny's own board already passes 40 words—and counting.

A book's on the horizon too. 'I'm writing one now. Bunny practically wrote it herself; I just supplied the thumbs,' Alexis jokes. 'It covers our triumphs, crushed moments and our whole bond. She's redlining it and I owe her edits ASAP. Bossy boss!'

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