I Am Bunny
How a Talking Dog Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Being Human
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
Social media stars of @WhatAboutBunny, Alexis Devine and Bunny the "talking" dog, deliver a memoir loaded with wit and passion for animals, as well as the vulnerability and authenticity of a woman who learned to take care of herself by learning to talk to her dog
When Bunny, a fluffy, black-and-white sheepadoodle, was eight weeks old, her guardian Alexis presented her with an odd gift: a button programed to say “outside” when pressed. Within a few weeks, Bunny was using it all the time and Alexis, encouraged by Bunny’s progress, continued to introduce more buttons and more words . . .
Three years later, Bunny can now communicate using over one hundred buttons, stringing together important, relatable, philosophical phrases such as “Love you Mom,” “Dad went poop,” and “Ugh why?” In I Am Bunny, a memoir in essays and beautiful, full-color photographs, Alexis chronicles not only how Bunny learned to “talk,” but also the profound impact their journey has had on her life. Caring for Bunny has revealed to Alexis a path to self-acceptance, if not complete self-love, and as their relationship developed and their ability to communicate deepened, Alexis was able to reflect on and reframe her past traumas in a newly vulnerable and healing way. Helping Bunny through her fear and reactivity allowed Alexis to examine these qualities in herself, and as she created a safe space for Bunny, she too found space for her own healing.
Through charming anecdotes about day-to-day life with Bunny, explorations into prior animal language studies, and plenty of irreverent humor, daring, and heart, Alexis tells the story of how she and Bunny have become so inspiringly close, and explores the ancient and unique bond between dog and guardian that so many of us know leads to a deeper, more meaningful life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Devine debuts with a charming memoir about her relationship with her dog, Bunny, who's gained a massive TikTok following thanks to her communication skills. "This is not a book about a talking dog," Devine begins, careful to clarify that her adopted sheepadoodle communicates with her only through "assistive technology"—buttons on the ground that play recordings of words when pressed. Shortly after taking Bunny home, Devine placed an "outside" button by the door for the dog to press when she wanted to leave the house. From there, she gradually added new buttons to expand Bunny's vocabulary. In essaylike chapters broken up by playful photographs of Devine and Bunny (plus illustrated sections about other notable figures in human-animal communication throughout history, including Koko the gorilla), Devine addresses criticisms she's faced online ("Just let her be a dog. She doesn't ever seem happy"; Devine insists that Bunny's reward is "feeling connected and understood") and shares how her experiments with Bunny have "allowed me to examine the ways I communicate with the world, and also with myself." The result is a quirky account of self-discovery and a lighthearted testament to the power of human-animal bonds. Photos.
Customer Reviews
Loved it!
I’ve followed Alexis for serval years now and absolutely love the aspirational level of communication she shares with her dog bunny using augmented inter species communication or what we all call ‘buttons’
I bought her book simply expecting a light collection of first hand stories of communicating with Bunny, it definitely has that but so much more!
I laughed, I cried, I learned about the science and history behind animal human communication (which is fascinating, inspiring and sometimes horrifying )
The way Alexis writes is a lovely combination of proper terminology and hilarious slang - I love both and the way she interweaves them.
Alexis does an amazing job of delicately responding to internet trolls in her book with science and her perspective. I appreciate her perspective that no matter the scientific rigger of a lab, at home, love plays a role in learning to communicate with a sentient being you love and who loves you. Moms and human babies learn their own unique language that often outsiders can’t always understand, who are we to judge if a dog mom and pup shares this same type of langue, even tho it’s not proper English.
The most beautiful is how she unfolds her story of how learning to communicate with bunny has helped her learn about herself, sharing vulnerable truths not always shared publicly. How bunny’s ability to advocate for herself has inspired Alexis to do the same.
If you love or have ever loved an animal - you’ll enjoy this book!