Sat, 22nd August, 2026: “Baby Talking to your Pets”; Antonia Goetz, Research Fellow in Infant Studies, West Syd Uni

If you’ve ever found yourself in the local dog park using a voice three octaves higher than your normal speaking tone to ask a Golden Retriever who’s a ‘good boy,’ don’t worry—science says you’re completely normal. Research shows that the way we speak to our pets shares a deep evolutionary link with how we talk to human babies. But do our dogs, cats, and birds actually care, or are we just making…