But do we WANT to know what they're saying? ;-)

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/09071...y_tomy_offbeat

Talking toy 'translates' dog barks

http://d.yimg.com/ca.yimg.com/p/0907...ncjbGIwVKkSA--
A Tomy employee displays the 'Bowlingual' gadget that can 'translate' dog barks into the human...

Thu Jul 16, 11:09 AM

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy said on Thursday that it would launch a talking version of its Bowlingual gadget that can "translate" dog barks into the human language.

The new model analyses six emotions, including joy, sadness and frustration, and speaks phrases such as "Play with me!" -- an improvement on the original which just showed them on a screen.

"Dog owners can enjoy the toy at a dog run and a park," said Tomy spokeswoman Chie Yamada.

The original version of the toy, which has a handset and a microphone attached to a dog collar, won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2002. The awards, a parody of the Nobel Prizes, celebrate achievements that make people laugh and think.

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/ca/spirit/july...age260x148.jpg

The new Bowlingual Voice, priced at 19,950 yen (212 dollars), will be launched in Japan next month, Yamada said.

It will be only available in Japanese at present. The original non-speaking version is also available in English and Korean.

:) Yup if I remember right someone tried several years ago to get this into the market.. It fell flat on its face..

That's just silly!

The only time I would want to know is when they are sick or injured...a quick "it hurts here when I do this" would make my life much easier and my vet bill much lower!

Other than that, I prefer to pretend all those wooos and woofs are nice, happy words! :p

Well, actually, this sort of thing could come in handy for me if it actually worked. The senior citizen has taken up barking for no apparent reason. It is very frustrating. Of course, if I found out that she was saying "cook me a steak!" I don't think I would want to know. :D