The powerful bond between humans and dogs is one that’s uniquely cherished. Loyal, obedient, and affectionate, they are truly “man’s best friend.” But do dogs love us the way we love them? Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns had spent decades using MRI imaging technology to study how the human brain works, but a different question still nagged at him: What is my dog thinking?
After his … thinking?
After his family adopted Callie, a shy, skinny terrier mix, Berns decided that there was only one way to answer that question — use an MRI machine to scan the dog’s brain. His colleagues dismissed the idea. Everyone knew that dogs needed to be restrained or sedated for MRI scans. But if the military could train dogs to operate calmly in some of the most challenging environments, surely there must be a way to train dogs to sit in an MRI scanner.
With this radical conviction, Berns and his dog would embark on a remarkable journey and be the first to glimpse the inner workings of the canine brain. Painstakingly, the two worked together to overcome the many technical, legal, and behavioral hurdles. Berns’s research offers surprising results on how dogs empathize with human emotions, how they love us, and why dogs and humans share one of the most remarkable friendships in the animal kingdom.
How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.
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Very interesting read, I learned a lot from it.
While I learned only a little about what and how dogs think, I enjoyed the information about how the author loved, treated, and trained dogs to be in his scientific program. A lovely book for dog lovers.
A great blending of a technical journal and a very personal family story. I listened to the Audible version of the book and was very pleased with the experience.
A fun read about the process of planning and conducting a veterinary study about dogs. I was expecting more content about the study results, but was not disappointed to learn about what goes on in the background at a lab. Worth the read.
Didn’t really like it. Some parts dragged on for many pages and I wound up skipping them. Thought it would be more informative and not so boring.
Really enjoyed reading how a researcher at Emory University painstakingly went through scientific experiments to find out how our beloved dogs show us how they are trying to talk to us and how they love us.
Affirmed what I already knew about how much my dog really loves me. Also provided insight into how I can improve my interactions with my beloved pet.
I read about 1/3 of it. Not what I was looking for. It was all about how the scientific process was set up.
Just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.
I was looking for more then what is available and hoping for more insight to apply to my own dog.
A personal recounting of PTSD by a veteran and the crippling effects, the miracle of helper dogs and the prejudice they both face. Highly recommended.
I got this book through BookBub, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend to anyone who has ever wondered what their pet might be thinking!!