Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals

Temple Grandin's newest book on animals does not disappoint. I won't give a full synopsis, since other reviewers have done that, but basically, Grandin writes that all animals have core emotions that either need to be stimulated or suppressed (depending on the emotion) for the animal to be happy. This applies to pets, like our dogs and cats, farm animals, wild animals, and zoo animals. Considering all of the situations in which we find animals, Grandin is thorough, and her principles are easy to apply to animals in any situation. (I volunteer in an animal shelter, and I have already applied many of her thoughts.) She gives plenty of examples, and her writing style is, of course, straightforward, simple, and concise. I picked up this book because of the chapters on dogs and cats (of which I have both), but I was fascinated by the chapters on farm animals (she covers horses, cows, pigs, and chickens) and zoo animals. Be warned: if you find yourself in that "omnivore's dilemma" of wanting to be humane to animals but also wanting to be an omnivore, this can complicate your situation. Grandin is straightforward about what happens to animals raised for consumption, and although it can be difficult to read, I like that she is balanced. She does not take a stance on whether it is right or wrong to eat meat; she simply says that these animals would not exist if they weren't raised for consumption and it is our duty to make their lives happy. I admire her for being an animal-lover and doing so much good in the slaughter industry. There are also some fascinating examples in the zoo chapter, such as how Grandin and her team go about training some high-strung antelope to stand still while blood is drawn. I found this book insightful, easy to read, interesting, and chock full of things to apply in my life with my pets, my life as an omnivore, and my life working with shelter animals, all of which will make the animals' lives I have an effect on better.

This is an excellent book. As someone very interested in the ethical treatment of animals, this provides a wonderful framework for thinking about zoos, animals in the wild, pets and animals used for food. Not polemical in the sense of taking a radical view one way or the other on anything, but incredibly practical and realistic. All recommendations are based on field work and research - not opinion only. Her discussion of dog behavior is fascinating. Time to read some of her other books!

I read this book in one sitting. As a veterinarian and writer, I've come across many, many silly books about animals. But Animals Make Us Human (along with Animals In Translation) is truly an enlightening and thought-provoking and dare I say 'necessary' read for any pet owner or anyone in the animal husbandry industry. This should be an Oprah pick for the mere chance to open the minds of the general populace to the natural world around us and those inhabitants who share this globe with us. For true insight, forget Cesar Millan...read this book today.

Animals have a powerful and eloquent advocate in author Temple Grandin, whose autism perhaps helps her connect with them. "Autism made school and social life hard, but it made animals easy," she explains. The subhead is Creating the Best Life for Animals, and that is the focus of each chapter. Anyone who loves animals will find this information fascinating and useful. Animals make me happy. It is important to me that animals are happy themselves. It truly distresses me when animals are unhappy. Although I have lapsed, I was a vegetarian for years because of the thought of a slaughterhouse and what goes on there. Animals Make Us Human is a book for those of us who care deeply about animal welfare. Grandin starts out with the basic needs of all animals: freedom from hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain, injury and disease. The guts of the book, however, are about more "human" needs: freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress. These needs remind me of our own human right to the pursuit of happiness. Grandin's focus on emotions as the key to an animal's happiness will ring true to any pet owner or animal lover. The chapters on livestock -- especially the one on poultry -- have some distressing passages on how these animals are sometimes mistreated. Grandin's work in the industry to make the system more humane is a gift. So is this book. Other books by Temple Grandin include Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior and Emergence: Labeled Autistic. Here's the chapter list: 1. What do animals need? 2. A dog's life 3. Cats 4. Horses 5. Cows 6. Pigs 7. Chickens and other poultry 8. Wildlife 9. Zoos 10. Afterword: Why do I still work in the industry?