An Interview with Dr Temple Grandin & Dr Marty Becker

 

Q: Dr Grandin, what inspired you to dedicate your career to studying animal behaviour?

DR GRANDIN: My passion for animal behaviour began during an incredible class taught by a retired Harvard professor, Tom Evans at college. I then visited my aunt’s ranch as a teenager in the Western United States, which further sparked my interest in studying animal behaviour.

DR BECKER: Dr Grandin is incredibly modest! From an early age, she discovered she has a unique relationship with animals, seeing the world in pictures just like they do. This perspective is why her work is so groundbreaking - Dr Grandin can identify issues that nobody else can.

 

Q: Dr Becker, what inspired you to start the Fear Free movement?

DR BECKER: Initially, I wanted to be a dairy practitioner, but during my first veterinary school lecture, Dean Leo Bustad’s talk about the human-animal bond changed my path. I volunteered to match elderly people with homeless pets and decided to become a companion animal practitioner.

My North Star has always been the human-animal bond. In 2009, at a conference in Canada, I learned that fear causes significant brain damage in animals and is the worst thing that a species can experience. I was so moved by this talk because, as veterinarians, we were taught to focus on the physical well-being of animals and ignore the emotional aspect. Unlike Dr Grandin, I had to educate myself to understand the trauma we were causing animals. This led me to collaborate with experts in animal behaviour, and after five years, Fear Free was founded to reduce stress and improve welfare for patients and staff. Today, Fear Free is a global leader in promoting stress-free and compassionate veterinary care.

 

Q: Reflecting on your experiences, what do you believe are some of the most misunderstood aspects of animal behaviour?

DR GRANDIN: Animals’ emotions are real! Most animal behaviour is driven by seeking, anger, lust, care, play and fear. A very common cause of behaviour problems is separation distress. It’s crucial to acknowledge that animals feel those emotions to understand their behaviour and provide better care. It’s crucial to understand that they feel fear to better understand their behaviour and provide better care.

DR BECKER: In the ‘80s, when I graduated veterinary school, we were taught that animals don’t experience pain. I don’t know why we believed that, but understanding animals’ emotions is very important. In the long term, underdiagnosis and undertreatment can have very serious consequences for the animal.

 

Q: Dr Grandin, what motivated you to join Fear Free as the Director of Animal Wellbeing?

DR GRANDIN: My introduction to Dr Becker led to us delivering many lectures together. I wholeheartedly believe in his vision and the Fear Free initiative. When Dr Becker mentioned expanding Fear Free’s services to livestock handling, I offered my insights and experience. There is already a movement towards better livestock handling - with 50 years in the industry, I’ve seen significant improvements in care compared to 10-20 years ago, but this is something that absolutely needs to be continued.

 

Q: Dr Becker, how do you see Dr Grandin’s expertise and experience enhancing the mission and goals of Fear Free?

DR BECKER: There’s no one quite like Dr Temple Grandin! I would describe her as a blend of science and soul. She’s a phenomenal person with the mind of a supercomputer. She has already transformed the lives of animals used for food and fibre in many countries, and Fear Free is all about action. By next year, all veterinary schools in the US will require a Fear Free Certification, and we’re on the brink of launching a massive consumer platform. Together, I aim to connect with those consumers and revolutionise global animal treatment.

For me, it’s about building on Dr Grandin’s legacy and the significant impact she has already made in animal welfare. I never expected Fear Free to become a business, but with what we have now and Dr Grandin’s expertise, I can truly imagine changing the standard of livestock handling globally and transforming animal welfare.

 

Q: Dr Becker, how can veterinary professionals, as well as pet owners, get more involved with Fear Free and support its mission?

DR BECKER: Just get started! We have almost 400,000 individuals registered for our certification. To join them, go to FearFree.com and register for certification. If you’re in the shelter business, visit FearFreeShelters.com and enrol in our free 5-hour online course. We also offer courses for trainers, groomers, pet sitters, and boarding and daycare professionals. We’ve transformed the pet care ecosystem and we’re continually expanding.

 

Q: What are you both most excited about attending the London Vet Show with Fear Free?

DR GRANDIN: I’m always excited about introducing new things. I can’t wait to meet all the veterinary professionals who will want to get involved with our initiatives.

DR BECKER: I went to the London Vet Show for the first-time last year, and I was truly in awe of the energy. The remarkable number of veterinary professionals, the people you can meet, and the connections you can make are incredible. I also can’t wait for our lectures with Dr Grandin. We aim to provide the audience with actionable solutions, from miracles to mundane, on how to reduce injuries and animals’ suffering. We want to teach people how to take ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified’ and put ‘treat’ into ‘treatment’.

This embodies what veterinary medicine should be - where our love for animals is reciprocated. We’re excited to reconnect with friends in November!

 

Dr Temple Grandin & Dr Marty Becker's sessions are in Gallery Suite 11-12 on Thursday 14 November.