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I have two dogs – Maizy and Zoyla. I’ve always had dogs. So I didn’t need a neuroscientist to tell me they love me. I already knew. And not just the “hey, is that bacon your eating?” kind of love. The real kind.
But Gregory Berns wanted proof. So he trained his dog to climb into an MRI machine and sit still. Would they be able to capture enough data to learn how dogs love and understand us? (Yes, they would.)
This is part of my 100 book reading goal for 2026 (Book #67)
My How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain Book Review
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Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
Book Summary
Gregory Berns spent decades scanning human brains at Emory University. Then his family adopted Callie, a shy, skinny terrier mix. He started wondering what was going on inside her head. Probably squirrels. But he wanted data.
The problem? Everyone knew dogs had to be sedated or restrained for an MRI. Hard to study what a dog is thinking when the dog is asleep. So Berns and his team trained Callie and a border collie named McKenzie to walk into the scanner and hold perfectly still. Fully awake.
Then they started testing. Hand signals. Smells. Familiar people. Strangers. And the reward center of Callie’s brain lit up for her humans. Not just the food. The people. Which is science’s way of saying what every dog owner has known forever.
Who is Gregory Berns?
- 🧠 Neuroscientist and professor at Emory University
- 🐶 Spent 15 years with a pug named Newton, whose death helped spark the whole project
- 🔬 His team was among the first to scan the brains of awake, unrestrained dogs
- 📚 Followed it up with What It’s Like to Be a Dog
My How Dogs Love Us Rating
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Overall Awesomeness: 5/5
Real science. Real dogs. Lots of hot dogs (incentive for the dogs while training.) My dogs would have given it a 5 too, if they got to eat that many hot dogs. Lots of deep science stuff. But dumbed it down just enough with humor and layman’s terms so I could understand. Also occasional pictures of brains cans and THE ACTUAL DOGS.
Things I Liked
- The science. It goes deep. But it never lost me, and I am very easy to lose.
- Dogs. Obviously.
- Training a dog to lie still in an MRI. MRIs are intimidating!
- Just enough pictures to help fill in the story
Things I Didn’t Like
- Now I’m paranoid. My dogs have been studying me for years. What dirt do they have on me?
The One Thing I’m Taking with Me
Dogs know more than it seems. They know our patterns. Our routines. Our unspoken tendencies. They have us figured out.
Where to Get It
Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).
- 🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
- 📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
- 📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon
