What It's Like to Be a Dog - by Gregory Berns (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Dog lovers and neuroscientists should both read this important book." -- Dr. Temple Grandin

What is it like to be a dog? A bat? Or a dolphin? To find out, neuroscientist and bestselling author Gregory Berns and his team did something nobody had ever attempted: they trained dogs to go into an MRI scanner -- completely awake -- so they could figure out what they think and feel. And dogs were just the beginning. In What It's Like to Be a Dog, Berns takes us into the minds of wild animals: sea lions who can learn to dance, dolphins who can see with sound, and even the now extinct Tasmanian tiger. Berns's latest scientific breakthroughs prove definitively that animals have feelings very much like we do -- a revelation that forces us to reconsider how we think about and treat animals. Written with insight, empathy, and humor, What It's Like to Be a Dog is the new manifesto for animal liberation of the twenty-first century.

Review Quotes

Named one of the "Best Books of 2017" by The Bark

Named one of the "TEN BEST SCIENCE BOOKS OF 2017" by Smithsonian

"A fascinating journey towards an understanding of what dogs--and their mammalian cousins--might be thinking about us."--John Bradshaw, author of the New York Timesbestsellers Dog Sense and Cat Sense and the forthcoming The Animals Among Us

"An informed and humane exploration at the frontiers of animal sentience."--The Times (UK)

"Berns also peeks into the gray matter of dolphins, sea lions, and Tasmanian devils, bolstering his contention that both four-footed and sea-dwelling mammals think and feel much as we do, a sentiment animal lovers and fans of books by Jane Goodall, E. O. Wilson, and Jeffrey Moussaieff Mason will heartily embrace."--Booklist

"Berns has done it again: woven a compelling story with a scientific revolution. Marvelously written and intellectually engaging, What It's Like to Be a Dog will establish Berns as one of the most skilled neuroscientists of our day, as well as someone with the intuition that understanding other animals will lead to greater insight and knowledge about ourselves."--Dr. Brian Hare, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Dogs

"Berns mixes personal stories of dogs and dog lovers with elegant scientific experiments that show the surprising complexity behind many canine daily behaviours: a fun, fascinating and illuminating read."--New Scientist

"Dr. Gregory Berns' new book is a fascinating read. Packed with personal stories, What It's Like to Be a Dog clearly lays out just who these amazing beings are, from the inside out. We can now learn what each individual animal wants and needs to have the best life possible in a human-centered world, and what we must do to make sure they do."--Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado, author of The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age and Canine Confidential: An Insider's Guide to the Best Lives for Dogs and Us

"Gregory Berns is boldly going where no one has gone before, offering a lively, eye-opening peek into his neuroscience kitchen."--Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

"Groundbreaking research that shows that dog emotions are similar to people's. Training dogs to voluntarily lie still in the MRI brain scanner was a brilliant way to explore the workings of their brains. Dog lovers and neuroscientists should both read this important book."--Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translationand Animals Make us Human

"In this big-hearted book, Gregory Berns applies cutting-edge science to questions that have never been so timely: How do other animals perceive their worlds? How do they experience emotions? How does their language work? What It's Like to Be a Dog is a delightful, illuminating look at the minds and lives of our fellow creatures."--Susan Casey, author of Voices in the Ocean: A Journey Into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins

"One of the most delightful things about What It's Like to Be a Dog is the attention Berns pays to each dog's individual quirks."--New Yorker

"The author explains that his purpose in writing this book is 'to raise awareness of the mental lives of the animals with whom we share the planet.' In that, he succeeds. An impressive overview of modern neurology and the still-unanswered issues raised by our treatment of our fellow living creatures."--Kirkus Reviews

"This truly fascinating book shows a profound respect for animals, and one that is broadening our understanding of what it's like to be a dog."--The Bark

About the Author

Gregory Berns, M.D., Ph.D. is a professor of psychology at Emory University, where he directs the Center for Neuropolicy and Facility for Education and Research in Neuroscience. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller, How Dogs Love Us. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and too many dogs.