Barking invention gives dogs a voice

Japanese toy maker Takara will introduce a gadget next spring that lets dogs to 'talk' to their owners.

The Dr Dolittle device, called Bow-lingual, picks up a dog's bark through a microphone attached to its collar. A handheld display then translates the sound waves into words.

Dogs use at least 15 different basic barks for communication, as well as facial expressions and body language.

Bow-lingual will cost around Y12,800 (£73), but what a small price to pay for knowing whether your mutt is happy, hungry, sad or sick to the teeth of chasing sticks in a cold park.

However, animal psychologist Roger Mugford, told the Daily Telegraph that "if a dog owner is so uninformed about his pet that he needs a computer to interpret what it wants, then he should not be a dog owner."