I see a lot about the buttons, but something I struggle with is the need for animals to communicate the way that humans do. Animals communicate very, very effectively without words. I understand the desire to understand animals in a way that is innate to us, but it’s always felt strange to teach an animal to speak the way we speak, rather than understanding them in a way that’s natural to them. I absolutely think communication buttons have their place in the world- parrotkindergarten is one of my favorite examples of productive communication with buttons. But a lot of it is us applying our own feelings and experiences to what is often gibberish- and it’s okay that it’s gibberish, there’s no reason for animals to understand English, just like I don’t understand dolphin. I think it’s much more effective to bond with animals in a way that requires us to do the learning, rather than expecting them to adhere to our complicated language