Interviews

High-intermediate

Before you to the interview about animal communication, think about how pets express themselves. Even though they cannot speak our language, pets find unique ways to get their messages across. Let us see what you already know—or think you know—about pet behavior!

Go through some true or false statements about pets and how they communicate. Do not worry about getting the “right” answer—these are meant to spark some fun discussion and get us thinking about what pets might say if they could talk. Ready? Let’s get started!

1. True or False: All pets communicate in the same way, regardless of their species.

2. True or False: Pets only make noise when they need food or water.

3. True or False: Some pets have favorite people and can show dislike for others.

4. True or False: Dogs are better at communicating with humans than cats.

5. True or False: If pets could talk, they would mostly complain about humans.

6. True or False: All pets love being petted and seek attention constantly.

7. True or False: Pets can feel jealousy and show it in their behavior.

8. True or False: Puppies are less likely to cause trouble than older pets.

9. True or False: Animals sometimes mimic human actions, like helping with chores.

10. True or False: The louder a pet is, the more it likes you.

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

• howl (verb): to make a long, loud crying sound, like a wolf or dog
  – The dog began to howl when he heard the sirens.
  – At night, we could hear wolves howl in the distance.

• mischievous (adjective): playful in a naughty or troublesome way
  – The mischievous puppy hid my shoes under the bed.
  – She gave him a mischievous smile before running away.

• pet (verb): to touch or stroke gently, usually to show affection
  – He loves to pet his cat while watching TV.
  – Can I pet your dog? He looks so friendly.

• meow (noun): the sound a cat makes
  – I heard a loud meow outside my window last night.
  – Her cat greeted her with a happy meow.

• demand (verb): to ask for something firmly or urgently
  – The hungry cat would demand food by meowing loudly.
  – He demanded an explanation for the mistake.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: In this video, let’s talk about animal communication. And I think in our family over the years, I think we’ve had one pet or another back since 1997 or something like that for many, many years. You are pet owners as well. And as you think about this question and . . . and now he’s communicating with me right now, our dog, he said, “[Dog wining . . ..]”. My question is, if your pets could talk, what would they say to you, Emily? And talk about your pet.

Emily: “Feed me!”

Aubrey: Yeah, “feed me” is appropriate.

Emily: “Feed me” . . .

Randall: Feed me.

Randall: All right. Now, would they say something? “Excuse me? I know that you’re really busy or you’re really involved with, you know, cleaning the dishes, but I was just wondering if you might have a few moments to spare to feed me.”

Emily: No, that’s not what Nuken was saying at 4:00 in the morning when he was howling for food.

Aubrey: Okay. Nuken is super loud.

Randall: Who is he and how old is he?

Emily: He’s Odin’s cat, and he is two years old.

Randall: Okay. Very friendly?

Emily: To most people.

Emily: He hates me. . . .he doesn’t like . . .Aubrey is the only person he doesn’t like.

Randall: Now, how does that manifest when you you’ve talked about that before? What do you mean that Aubrey, you have an aversion or he has an aversion to you  . . .  What’s up?

Aubrey: Well, he’ll come up as if he wants me to pet him, and then he’ll like, go to bite me if I try. He does not like me. But on that subject of the dishwasher, my dog Bemo has opinions on that. He’ll be like, “Oh, you’re doing the dishes. Let me help you.”

Randall: Oh, so what will he try to do?

Aubrey: He’ll climb into the dishwasher and try to clean them.

Randall: Oh, well, like lick off the . . .

Aubrey: Yes.

Randall: Oh, wow! So that’s a little bit about food you mentioned. About what other language? If they could talk, what would they say? You know, on.

Aubrey: The line of things that they eat that isn’t food, he also says things like, “But why can’t I eat a measuring cup? It’s so delicious.”

Randall: And I think he also has an interest in shoes. Is that right?

Aubrey: He’s eaten two of my favorite shoes.

Emily: We should specify he is a puppy.

Aubrey: He is a puppy. Yes. Okay.

Randall: Did he ask permission? Did he say, “Hey, I was just wondering if I could take a small chunk of this? See how it tastes in my mouth.”

Aubrey: And I did my tummy. Nope.

Randall: Emily, you are mentioning about your cat Nuken, and you have two other cats. How about them? What would they say to you?

Emily: Midna would say, “Pet me, pet me, pet me, pet me!”

Randall: “Pet me, pet me.” Would she say like, “Pet me here, pet me here”?

Emily: No. She’s too stupid to know what she wants other than to be pet.

Randall: Okay, so just “pet me.” Okay. And if you stop petting, does she say anything?

Emily: She usually just keeps waiting to be pet.

Aubrey: My Chihuahua has opinions about things. Sometimes, he’ll start barking as if the mere existence of larger dogs is an affront to his person. [Oh.] Like, “How dare that dog exist outside of my house” woof woof woof.”

Randall: And you also have another companion at home you mentioned about [The kitty cat?]  . . . Yeah. Let’s talk about him.

Aubrey: He’s not super chatty. He mostly just meows like if he thinks it’s time to eat. Okay. But he’s not demanding like Nuken is. Man, I’ve heard that guy yell over the phone from another room.

Randall: Yeah. I didn’t know he was that loud, Emily.

Emily: He’s so loud.

Randall: I mean, what is it? Meow meow meow. How is it?

Emily: It’s a howl.

Aubrey: Yeah. Picture that, plus a baby screaming.

Randall: Okay, give us that howl. [Emily howling like a loud cat.]

Aubrey: That sounds pretty close.

Randall: Wow, that’s a pretty extended howl.

Emily: Over, and over, and over.

Aubrey: Then do it, like, 100 more times.

Randall: Well, thank you for sharing. It’s interesting how animals try to communicate with us in different ways. We at least try to interpret [their language] or try to ignore them.

Intermediate Level

1. Which pet’s behavior did you find the funniest? Why?

2. Do you think pets understand more than we realize? Give an example.

3. If you were one of the pets in the interview, how would you feel about your owner’s stories?

4. What other ways do pets communicate besides making noises?

5. Do you think Nuken is really mean, or is there another reason he acts that way?

Advanced Level

1. How do cultural perspectives on pets influence how we interpret their behavior?

2. In what ways do people project human emotions onto pets? Is this helpful or harmful?

3. What can the way we communicate with pets teach us about human communication?

4. If technology could translate animal sounds into human language, how might that change our relationship with pets?

5. Are there ethical implications in interpreting and responding to pets as if they have human thoughts and feelings?

1. Visual Learners

• Comic Strip Creation: Students draw a comic strip showing what they imagine the pets were thinking during the events described. Encourage speech bubbles to show the pets “talking.”
• Mind Map: Create a mind map of the different ways pets communicate, using examples from the interview.

2. Auditory Learners

• Group Discussion: Facilitate a debate on the question, “Do pets truly understand human emotions, or are they just responding to cues?”
• Podcast Reflection: Have students record a short podcast episode reflecting on the funniest pet story and why it was relatable.

3. Kinesthetic Learners

• Role-Playing Activity: In pairs, students act out scenes from the interview, with one person as the pet and the other as the owner. They should exaggerate the pet’s “thoughts” to make it humorous.
• Charades: Students act out different pet behaviors described in the interview while others guess the pet and the situation.

4. Reading/Writing Learners

• Creative Writing: Write a short diary entry from the perspective of one of the pets, describing a day in their life.
• Opinion Essay: Compose an essay on whether pets truly have personalities or if owners just imagine them.

5. Interpersonal Learners

• Group Storytelling: In small groups, students collaboratively create a story where the pets from the interview go on an adventure together.
• Interview Role-Play: Students take turns being the interviewer and pet owner, asking follow-up questions about the pets’ behaviors.

6. Intrapersonal Learners

• Reflective Journal: Write a journal entry reflecting on how their own pets communicate and compare this to the pets in the interview.
• Personal Connection: Reflect on what their own pet would say to them if it could talk.

The following activities deal with related topics to give you additional language practice.

• Animal Care
• Cat Friends
• Dogs or Cats?
• Dog Beach
• Easy Pet Care
• Exotic Animal Kingdom
• Pet Ownership
• Rescued Animals