A Scientist’s Journey From Dogs’ Minds to Cows’ Hearts

Source: Enrique Hoyos/Pexels

Given our shared interest in the behavior and emotional lives of dogs, I’ve long followed the award-winning career of Emory University’s Dr. Gregory Berns.¹ I’ve always associated Berns’ name with dogs, and I also am keenly interested in the cognitive and emotional lives of cows, so I was surprised—pleasantly so—when I learned about his new book titled Cowpuppy: An Unexpected Friendship and a Scientist’s Journey into the Secret World of Cows.² I wanted to know more about his remarkable journey into the bovine world, and I’m pleased he could answer some questions about it.

Why did you write Cowpuppy, and how did you come up with the title?

In 2021, I moved from Atlanta to a farm in the middle of Georgia. My original idea was to grow vegetables using sustainable methods that I might sell at the farmer’s market. This was fantastically naïve, and I quickly found myself overwhelmed by managing pastures without any animals. So, I decided I needed some biological help and acquired a bull and two cows for grazing.

But I soon fell in love with them. I became fascinated by their underappreciated intelligence and their loyal affection to each other and, eventually, me. One of the first calves born on the farm was particularly sociable and acted like a big, goofy puppy. So I started calling him a cowpuppy.

All of this was too remarkable to keep to myself, so, of course, I had to write a book about the cows. But it is really about so much more—also rural life, problem-solving, and the kindness of your neighbors.

Source: Harper Horizon/with permission.

How does your latest book relate to your background and general areas of interest?

I was trained as a bioengineer and also as a board-certified psychiatrist. My overriding interest has been the quest to understand how the human mind works, which morphed into a journey into other animals’ minds. For the last decade, I have been running a project where we trained dogs to go into MRI scanners so we can figure out how their brains work and how they view the world. Now, cows are the new dogs.

Who do you hope to reach in your interesting new book?

I think there is something for everyone in Cowpuppy. Certainly, all animal lovers will enjoy it for the rich descriptions of the different personalities in our herd. Their names give a clue: the bull, Ricky Bobby; mommas Lucy and Ethel; Princess Xena, Walker, and Texas Ranger; Daisy Duke, Cricket, and Luna.

And, of course, BB, the number-one cowpuppy. You’ll have to read it to find out what BB stands for.

Even though Cowpuppy is a great story, it is also packed with scientific information about cows that you won’t find in any other book. And all of this is set in the context of living in rural Georgia. Kind of like if Jane Goodall had moved to Green Acres.

What are some of the major topics you consider?

You will find a fair bit of neuroscience dispersed in the book. For example, cow brains are surprisingly gyrified—a fancy word for the folds in the brain. In general, the more folds a brain has, the more neurons it contains. Now, this may imply intelligence, but we don’t really know.

I explain how the cow’s brain is wired to detect threats and what this means for getting close to them. Bud Williams, a famous stockman and probably the first to think about cattle psychology, used to say, “Slow is fast,” which means that the fastest way to get cattle to do something is to take it slow. A lesson we can all learn! In fact, I wrote a New York Times essay about this.

I also talk about how I use positive reinforcement to train some of the herd on some simple tasks, like coming when I call, wearing a halter, and holding still for hoof trimming (we’re still working on that with some of them!). The fact that cows can be trained just like dogs may surprise a lot of people.

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There is a fair bit on how cows express emotions. They are incredibly demonstrative if you know what to look for. The main way they express affection is by licking each other, especially the head and neck. They come up to me, put their head down, and waggle it a bit when they want me to scratch them.

They also enjoy playing, especially the calves. Marc, you are an expert on play bows in canids, and you would recognize a similar display in cows: They put their head down and raise their butt in the air while waving their tail like a flag when they want to play.

I even have a section on self-awareness. What happens when you put a giant mirror in the pasture? I’ll say this: It’s a lot more interesting than what most dogs do with mirrors.

How does your book differ from others that are concerned with some of the same general topics?

There are very few books focused on cows and cattle. Temple Grandin, of course, has written many of them. My approach is that of a neuroscientist studying these wonderful animals. I dive deep into how their brains work and how this explains many of their behaviors, using my spirited herd to illustrate these points with a big dose of humor.

Are you hopeful that as people learn more about cows, they will treat them with more respect and dignity?

Most people have never met a cow in person. They are often perceived as inert creatures dotting the landscape. I hope Cowpuppy shows that cows have more in common with dogs than people ever imagined and are, therefore, worthy of the same compassion we show for our pets.