Being human is a function of God in your view. Without it, you have no emotions (other than loneliness I guess, which rather than hope, is what remains in Pandora's Box), even though other animals do. I get it.
Well, for the animal thing, I have no idea (the LDS Church is basically mute on animal-related theology besides the "don't eat too much meat guys" part of the Word of Wisdom), but you've got the basics of it.
And hey, I actually like the LDS version of the afterlife a lot; unlike in some "standard" versions of the afterlife, you don't go to hell if you weren't quite good enough, you only go to a slightly less awesome version of paradise. Even somewhat bad people aren't consigned to an eternal hell, only the worst of the worst go to anything close to it.