Dog-lovers would be barking up the wrong tree if they bought an electronic gadget that supposedly allows them to 'talk' to their pets, an animal welfare group says.
Owners should not have to rely on technology to know what was on their pet's minds, according to the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The device is said to decipher dog barks and translate them into simple phrases.
The 'Bowlingual', which was launched in Hong Kong yesterday, has a wireless collar attached around a dog's neck. It tapes its barks, translates them into one of 200 phrases indicating the dog's emotional state and transmits them to a remote control handset in Japanese. It comes with Chinese and English translations for the Hong Kong market.
The device was the brainchild of Matsumi Suzuki, a Japanese authority on voice patterns, who spent two years analysing the voiceprint patterns of hundreds of dogs.
It is claimed the gadget can determine a dog's emotions, helping owners understand its mental and physical health.