It's the new year and time for a new start and new furniture. To make room for both, some of the books that have sat on the shelf for ages waiting to be read or re-read will receive their freedom.

A fascinating look at animal behavior and the basic emotions that drive it. (If anyone out there thinks that animals don't feel emotion, well, they need to spend some time in a small room with an angry raccoon.) By showing the whys and wherefores of reactions and how to read the reactions, Grandin teaches us how to be better caretakers for animals and how to relate to people as well. Information on Dogs, Cats, and Horses was quite useful and educational to me in understanding these creatures and somewhat helpful in reminding me how I should interact with my kitty. Good discussion also of the differences between predator species animals and prey species animals. The discussion of cows, pigs, and chickens gave an interesting perspective on the lives of animals we use for food. I also enjoyed Grandin's discussion of the ways to make our treatment of food animals more humane and provide them with better lives, despite the fact that we are going to kill them and eat them. After all, I like hamburger and porkchops and even chicken, and the odds of the whole world going vegetarian or vegan are astronomical. Therefore, we really ought to treat our food animals as well as possible so we are not monsters as well as carnivores.

Adding this to the Wild Thing Animal Themed Shrinking Book Box started by Erishkigal.

I've already read this, so I'll leave it in the WILD THINGS bookbox, but I did want to add my comments:

Fascinating book! It's grouped into chapters by types of animals, with insights into the way they each think, what they need, and what humans can do to make their lives better. And I found that Grandin's explanation of different emotional systems makes a tremendous amount of sense, whether applying them to animals or to people... Describing "SEEKING" as an emotion, for example - the impulse to search, to investigate.

In the chapter on dogs, she talks about the concept of an "alpha" pack leader, and points out some misconceptions about how wolves behave, as well as the ways in which domestic dogs in households differ from conventional wolf-packs. But she also goes into basic questions such as "how many dogs", how to spot a dog that will blend into the household more easily, what to do when an animal is nearing the end of its life...

The section on cats highlights the differences in the ways cats react compared to dogs - not that this is a new idea, but Grandin explains the reasons behind the differences, and offers suggestions for coping with cat behaviors. "Cats are hard to read," says one section-header - I had to smile at that; it's way too true!

I found the chapters on other animals of interest too, whether they were creatures I'd had experience with - horses, cows, chickens - or those I hadn't. Fascinating information, and some great suggestions - not just for dealing with family pets or farm animals, but on how to gain knowledge about the treatment of animals throughout the country, and how to work to improve their condition. Recommended!

[I've read and enjoyed Grandin and Johnson's book Animals in Translation also.]

I could not resist this one. I selected it from the Wild Things book box. I have always believed that animals have emotions.