What do you think?
Touching Animal Souls
Animal behaviour has interested and perplexed humanity for centuries and a desire to understand why animals do what they do has resulted in vast amounts of research being conducted on the topic. Having been an animal trainer since 1990 and being surrounded by animals her entire life, Gabrielle Harris offers a new and astonishing way of viewing animal behaviour and what humanity can learn from the animal kingdom if they simply remove the science and open their hearts.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2011
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 14, 2026
This was such an interesting read, especially seeing how much we can learn from animals when we take the time to understand them. I loved how the author connected her experiences training different animals with lessons about patience, trust, communication, and leadership. It’s a thoughtful book that reminds us that working with animals isn’t just about teaching them, it can teach us a lot about ourselves too. I’d recommend it to animal lovers and anyone who enjoys books with practical life lessons.
September 14, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. What stood out to me was how Gabrielle Harris uses her experiences with dolphins, horses, dogs, monkeys, and other animals to share lessons that go far beyond animal training. The book made me think differently about communication, trust, patience, and what it really means to be a good leader. I think it would be a great read for animal lovers, trainers, or anyone interested in learning life lessons from the way animals respond to us.
March 1, 2012
In this book I recognize so much wisdom that I have seen brought to life by others like my mother, my sister and a certain horseman named 'Patrick' who embodies the open leader spirit that Gabrielle speaks of.
Read it for insights and expect to be challenged. It confirmed what I already knew, that animals are not simple beasts and when we approach one we better know a lot about them, while keeping our ego out of the way.
You can make mistakes, you can correct them, you can be yourself as long as you learn and change - using the animal as a mirror. There is fear and its cure: experience and compassion/empathy. The relationship with animals is not one way and this book makes it clear that they give more than they get; mainly because we humans underestimate them so often.
The book almost veers into my pet loathing - "woo" and pseudo-science -- but Gabrielle knows the perils of dogma and superstition. She neatly pulls back and gives a unique line between what we think we know and what we feel. There is value in this gray area that pure reason cannot yet reach. We can trust our feelings, our intuition as long as we also watch the mirror of the animals around us (humans included) and we strip ourselves of pride and stubborn ego. It also emphasizes education, self education. Keep learning, keep watching, keep the mind open.
I think this is a book that I will continue to dip into long after the last page is closed. Opening it randomly rewards one with clarity and insight and you can't help but smile.
Reading Room - Oprah magazine - SA
Read how these sentient mammals helped world-renowned animal behaviourist, Gabrielle Harris, from Durban, moves from fear to feeling. http://www.kimaglobalbooks.com/touchi...
"Working with animals has taught me a lot about myself. They have changed the way I think about life. I now focus on the positive aspects in life. They also allow me to laugh at myself and teach me humility which is very important as I believe humility is the key to the Universe."
Read it for insights and expect to be challenged. It confirmed what I already knew, that animals are not simple beasts and when we approach one we better know a lot about them, while keeping our ego out of the way.
You can make mistakes, you can correct them, you can be yourself as long as you learn and change - using the animal as a mirror. There is fear and its cure: experience and compassion/empathy. The relationship with animals is not one way and this book makes it clear that they give more than they get; mainly because we humans underestimate them so often.
The book almost veers into my pet loathing - "woo" and pseudo-science -- but Gabrielle knows the perils of dogma and superstition. She neatly pulls back and gives a unique line between what we think we know and what we feel. There is value in this gray area that pure reason cannot yet reach. We can trust our feelings, our intuition as long as we also watch the mirror of the animals around us (humans included) and we strip ourselves of pride and stubborn ego. It also emphasizes education, self education. Keep learning, keep watching, keep the mind open.
I think this is a book that I will continue to dip into long after the last page is closed. Opening it randomly rewards one with clarity and insight and you can't help but smile.
Reading Room - Oprah magazine - SA
Read how these sentient mammals helped world-renowned animal behaviourist, Gabrielle Harris, from Durban, moves from fear to feeling. http://www.kimaglobalbooks.com/touchi...
"Working with animals has taught me a lot about myself. They have changed the way I think about life. I now focus on the positive aspects in life. They also allow me to laugh at myself and teach me humility which is very important as I believe humility is the key to the Universe."
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews