Book excerpt: Many of us dream of being like Dr. Dolittle, able to speak joyfully with animals. Now you can bring that dream to life! In Mindful Partners: The Zen art and science of working with animals, Dr. Jenifer Zeligs takes you on a transformative journey to the deepest level of connection with animals. Dr. Zeligs combines breakthroughs in behavioral sciences with centuries of contemplative wisdom, guiding readers to see behavior as it fundamentally exists and how actions and reactions are born, practiced, and altered. She teaches the reader to use mindfulness to develop a special kind of partnership in which both parties share a mutually beneficial connection. The book is filled with intimate and amusing accounts of Dr. Zeligs’ 40-year history of partnerships across the animal kingdom—from improving the welfare of horses and dogs to filming wild whales using trained sea lions. It teaches you to partner with any animal to create a strong connection, establish interspecies communication, develop calm behavior, respond when things go wrong, reduce aggression, build confidence, overcome fears, and motivate without causing stress. This is an empowering guide to connecting with animals, drawing on the best of science, as well as traditions of inspirational wisdom.