I guess I’ll be that guy…. Can’t like MOST of the animals on the planet do this? I don’t get what’s so special about this, or why someone would fund/do research on it.
Every dog I’ve ever owned learned to communicate their desires to me - be it ringing a bell to go outside, giving me THAT side eye look then staring at the cupboard for a treat, etc. Cats do it in their own way. The birds outside my house make a particular squaking racket every single time they’ve emptied the bird feeder letting us humans know “I’d like you to fill it up please”. :) All manner of farm animals from goats, pigs, cows, and chickens I’ve seen do the same things. Heck if chickens, turkeys, and cows can do it - man those three in particular are dumb - then I think this is a trait of most animals.
TLDR: most animals can communicate their desires, I’d say they are about as smart as very young human toddlers. /shrug