I am fascinated with animal behavior. The longer I practice veterinary medicine, the more I realize my true love with this profession is the untapped intellect of the animal world. I enjoy the medicine aspect, but at the end of the day the communication, behavior, and interaction of the animal world has always been what has fueled my passion for the outdoors and lead to me having a small herd of dogs that share my house.

In the last year or two I have read a couple of books that explore the world of animal intelligence, and I recently finished one of the best reads I've found on the subject. Some of you may be familiar with the life of Alex the African Grey Parrot. He was an exceptionally intelligent bird that was the subject of numerous articles, news segments and a television show. At the most basic level Alex was the 30-year research project of Dr. Pepperberg. Very early in the book you realize there was certainly much more to this pair than that of researcher and subject.

The book is essentially a biography (Alex) and autobiography (Dr. Pepperberg) wrapped into one story. It examines the humble beginnings of the Alex Foundation and follows the roller coaster ride of this amazing researcher and her family of birds. In order to legitimize the research she was conducting, Dr. Pepperberg, had to view Alex as a research subject. This little bird's intellect, though, caused her to often hover over the thin line of objectivity passing into subjectivity. Say what you will about trying to remain objective while conducting research, but as the book jacket indicates, Alex's last words to Dr. Pepperberg were, "You be good. I love you," and it would be difficult for even the coldest researcher not to become attached to this bundle of grey feathers.

Dr. Pepperberg did an incredible job with writing the book in order to keep it both informative and entertaining. I was continually amazed with the inside look into the world of animal intelligence research and the skepticism that so many still have about the level of intelligence animals possess. It baffles me when extremely intelligent people can be threatened by the suggestion that other species may have some of the higher brain functions that supposedly separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom. And until more Dr. Irene Pepperbergs and Alexes come along to challenge those notions, and prove the true level of animal intelligence, we will only scratch the surface of this subject.

This book would definitely make my must-read list for any with an appreciation for the animal world.