The most important thing in a shelter is that volunteers, especially with dogs, come in everyday, take that pet out for an hour of quality time.
Temple GrandinWe found if you took the dog out for 45 minutes a day and worked with it that the solitary stress hormone, cortisol, went down. But then it went right back up again because they didn't keep doing it.
Temple GrandinIf you get a little kitty and he's down on the bottom, and he's laying on his chest, you know tucked up underneath, then that cat is not relaxed.
Temple GrandinMy mind works like Google for images. You put in a key word; it brings up pictures. See language for me narrates the pictures in my mind.
Temple GrandinI don't like the way most people think. It's imprecise. I find that when parents ask me questions, they ask very imprecise questions. They say, "My kid has behavioral problems at school." Well, I have to say, "What kind of problems? Is he hitting? Is he rude? Does he rock in class?" I need to narrow questions to specifics. I am very pragmatic and intellectual, not emotional. I do get great satisfaction when a parent says, "I read your book, and it really helped me."
Temple Grandin