Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals »

TEMPLE GRANDIN earned her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois and went on to become a professor at Colorado State University. She is the author of four previous books, including the national bestsellers Thinking in Pictures and Animals in Translation. Grandin spearheaded reform of the quality of life and humaneness of death for the world’s farm animals.

How can we give animals the best life—for them? What does an animal need to be happy?

In her groundbreaking, best-selling book Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her experience as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into how animals think, act, and feel. Now she builds on those insights to show us how to give our animals the best and happiest life—on their terms, not ours.

Knowing what causes animals physical pain is usually easy, but pinpointing emotional distress is much harder. Drawing on the latest research and her own work, Grandin identifies the core emotional needs of animals and then explains how to fulfill the specific needs of dogs and cats, horses, farm animals, zoo animals, and even wildlife. Whether it’s how to make the healthiest environment for the dog you must leave alone most of the day, how to keep pigs from being bored, or how to know if the lion pacing in the zoo is miserable or just exercising, Grandin teaches us to challenge our assumptions about animal contentment and honor our bond with our fellow creatures.

Animals Make Us Human is the culmination of almost thirty years of research, experimentation, and experience. This is essential reading for anyone who’s ever owned, cared for, or simply cared about an animal.

The New York Times - Dwight Garner

Ms. Grandin loves solid, declarative sentences: "Cattle hate being yelled at"; "Pigs are obsessed with straw"; "Cows like to learn new things." So I'll add one of my own: We're lucky to have Temple Grandin.

1 What Do Animals Need? 1

2 A Dog's Life 25

3 Cats 67

4 Horses 105

5 Cows 137

6 Pigs 173

7 Chickens and Other Poultry 207

8 Wildlife 235

9 Zoos 263

Afterword: Why Do I Still Work for the Industry? 295

Acknowledgments 305

Notes 308

Index 329