"People who care about animals and nature should not be considered 'the radicals' or the 'bad guys'...in fact they could be seen as heroes who are fighting not only for animals but also for humanity," Bekoff writes.

Bekoff is a professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado and is a leading scientist on animal intelligence, emotion and behavior. This book was an easy and informative read as it was made up of a series of short essays originally published online for Psychology Today and updated for this book.

I found "How Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed" to be inspiring and thought-provoking as Bekoff incorporates personal stories along with recent research covering a broad range of topics including:

• • • Speciesism
    • Animals and the media 
    • Emotional lives of animals
    • Lives of captive creatures (including negatives of zoos and Seaworld)
    • Compassion
    • Rewilding ourselves

As a dog owner, I was fascinated to discover that dogs can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and that "there is not a single explanation for [dogs] mounting or humping." Bekoff also provides well-written, but limited research on whales, bears, cows and bees amongst other wildlife.

If you are an animal lover or are interested in animal behavior and emotion then I highly recommend that you read "Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed."

Writer Margie Spurrier holds a BA in Psychology and recently became a Certified Holistic Health Coach by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Margie hopes to inspire and transform lives through plant powered living and wellness.