Gregory Berns is a leading neuroscientist who has extensively studied dogs and how they think and wrote What It's Like to Be a Dog. But when he and his wife bought a small farm in rural Georgia and populated it with a handful of cows they couldn't imagine how their lives would be transformed. As he gets to know his herd, Berns' affection for them grows, along with his curiosity. He applies his scientific eye to the cognitive and emotional lives of his cows. His cows turn out to have impressive memories, to be capable of forming lasting bonds with people, and to be highly attuned to our feelings. Gregory Berns is a natural storyteller. He falls in love with his cows, and they fall in love with him. In particular, he forms a special bond with BB, his cowpuppy. This hugely readable memoir blends fascinating scientific explanations of animal behaviour with a candid, moving, and sometimes hilarious account of the lives of cows.
Gregory Berns, M.D., Ph.D., is the Distinguished Professor of Neuroeconomics at Emory University. His research has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Los Angeles Times, Nature, New Scientist, and Psychology Today. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, GMA, CNN, NPR, ABC, and the BBC. How Dogs Love Us was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller; and What It's Like to Be a Dog was named one of the 10 best science books of 2017 by the Smithsonian. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Combining great and surprising science with deep empathy for animals, Cowpuppy is a must read."
– Tim Flannery, bestselling author of The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers
"I am a farmer but Cowpuppy made me feel like a neuroscientist too. It is heartfelt, absorbing and vivid."
– Rosamund Young, bestselling author The Secret Life of Cows
"A neuroscientist buys a farm and raises cows. He discovers that individual cows have different personalities and a complex social life. You will love his description of how cows react to their reflections in a mirror."
– Temple Grandin, author of Visual Thinking and Animals in Translation
"Hilarious, humble and heartwarming [...] the best true story you will read this year. Cowpuppy will change the way you think about cows forever. Get ready to fall in love."
– Dr Brian Hare, author of NYT bestseller, The Genius of Dogs
"Cowpuppy is enjoyably human, intelligent, unexpected, humorous, entertaining, and heartwarming."
– Good Reading