Those of us who share our homes with animals know that our four-legged family members teach us a lot. In her latest book, Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals (Mariner Books—Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010), Temple Grandin shows us how we can improve the lives of animals and, in doing so, our own lives and our world.

Grandin, now in her 60s, is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She consults about animal behavior with the livestock industry and zoos. As a PhD with high-functioning autism, she brings a unique perspective to her writing, teaching, and more than 30 years of consulting and work in autism advocacy. Johnson, who also holds a doctorate, is a writer specializing in neuropsychiatry. One of her children also has autism.

Grandin begins by asking, "What does an animal need to have a good life?" In chapters on dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, chickens and other poultry, wildlife, and zoos, she covers a lot of territory. Basically, she says, they need "health, freedom from pain and negative emotions, and lots of activities" in stimulating environments.

Dogs are "genetic wolves" that have evolved to live and communicate with humans. Many of us remember our childhood dogs, who roamed the neighborhood off-leash and unfettered by fences. They didn't bark when other dogs walked past, and they loved to "smell each other's butts and wag their tails."

But dogs' lives changed, as did ours. Now we have leash laws and fences, and all adults in the household typically work, so we have to figure out new ways to keep our dogs happy. Grandin suggests that people who are away from their homes all day consider having two compatible dogs (ditto for cats) who entertain each other. She also warns that leash laws and fences have made dogs captive, making them more likely to be aggressive.

Dogs and cats have big differences. Dogs serve people, but we are our cats' servants. Cats are also much more set in their ways. But cats do have social needs. One of the problems in dealing with their social issues is that cats are hard to "read." They don't have expressive faces, as dogs do. Grandin says we are looking for cat signals in the wrong place and that they give more body signals than dogs do. Watch their tails, for example.

Grandin deals with the issue of fear regarding several animal species, including horses:

It is really important to recognize the behavioral and physical signs of fear. A fearful horse switches his tail. As he becomes more scared, the tail moves faster. Other signs are a high head, sweating when there is little physical exertion, and quivering skin. A really frightened horse gets bugged-out eyes and the whites show.

People often confuse fear and aggression. Grandin says, "Most behavior problems that occur during handling, veterinary procedures, loading, and riding are caused by fear or pain—not aggression."

Grandin asserts that people with Asperger's syndrome or dyslexia are often good with animals because their thinking is "more sensory-based than word-based." They understand the importance of thinking in "pictures, sounds, touch sensations, smells, and tastes."

Her pioneering work has focused on improving handling and designing better facilities in the cattle and poultry industries. She believes that conditions in facilities housing cattle, pigs, and poultry have improved significantly because some of the large grocery and restaurant chains now require audits that force plant managers "to monitor, measure, and improve employee behavior."

Work environments and training of employees also have improved. She believes that installing Webcams inside slaughterhouses, hatcheries, and farms would help even more. All of her designs to improve the livestock industry are in the public domain.

Grandin thinks pigs are smart:

That's why George Orwell made pigs the leader of the revolution in Animal Farm. It's probably also why Winston Churchill said, "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

Grandin argues that it is important to preserve the old breeds of animals and poultry because only a handful of companies produce the egg-layers and poultry for the world. This greatly reduces the gene pool.

In her chapter on wildlife, Grandin emphasizes the importance of both research and field work, especially naturalistic observation. She also advocates ecotourism, which makes animals valuable to local people. This is as true of Kansas, where the Great Plains were created by the bison, as it is for Africa and its safaris.

Grandin has good, no-nonsense advice for the end-of life pet issues we all dread. She asks, "Would a complicated, invasive treatment improve the quality of your pet's life?" Financial realities also require good judgment, and she writes, "You must make sure that your choice does not prolong suffering."

Our relationships with animals must be symbiotic, providing mutual benefits. Animals Make Us Human provides insights that are well worth pondering for anyone who has a pet or eats meat.

Related readings and resources

• Grandin became well-known after being described by Oliver Sacks in the title narrative of his book An Anthropologist on Mars (Knopf, 1995). The title describes how Grandin says she feels around "normal" people. Despite this anxiety, she has stated that "If I could snap my fingers and become nonautistic, I would not do so. Autism is part of who I am."
  
• For Grandin's other books, articles, and information about her work with the livestock industry, see her Web site, www.templegrandin.com.