Ever wondered whether Fido's various yips, barks and growls have meaning? Japanese toy maker Takara Co. claims to have developed a gadget that will "translate" your dog's vocalizations into human language. According to Bowlingual, dogs say things like "I'm feeling great!" "It's so annoying!" and "Come on, play with me!"

The device consists of a small, wireless microphone that attaches to a dog collar. It transmits the dog's sounds to a palm-sized unit that compares them with approximately 200 translation patterns in its database. The Bowlingual is preprogrammed with settings for 50 different breeds, and people who have dogs of other breeds or of mixed breed can choose from among six settings, depending on the dog's size and muzzle length.

The product - cited as one of the coolest inventions of 2002 by Time magazine —
is expected to become available in U.S. pet stores, gift shops and retail outlets this summer. Price tag is about $120.

The Humane Society of Greater Miami has initiated a program that brings dogs and cats into workplaces to help employees relieve stress.

Health studies have shown that interacting with animals reduces stress and lowers blood pressure. "We will visit any South Florida workplace that would like us to come out," says Melanie Otero from the Humane Society. "We're hoping employers see it as good thing for their employees." Some employers who allow their workers to bring dogs to work found that the policy helped reduce absenteeism, according to a study of 50 companies by the American Pets Products Manufacturers Association.

The Humane Society is also hopeful that interacting with some of the adoptable pets will get people interested in adopting. The program is called "Four-Legged Funday."