Scientific proof your dogs love you..and cats..well, they are cats...

I had a little puppy following me around my place of business yesterday. I was walking past the front entrance doors and I saw him there.. his nose on the glass, too light to make the doors open (automatic doors). I walked out, the doors opened, and bent down to see if he had any tags. The little bugger was so happy to see me. His tail was wagging so hard I thought it would break off. Lots of face licks and kisses too. I walk back into the business to go about my work and he follows me inside... following me everywhere I went.

Lucky for me the owner was inside the store and we found him. But the little guy still would not leave me and the owner had to eventually pick him up and carry him out of the store. So, I did some reading up on dog behaviors and emotions. Because I wanted to know why the little puppy would want to hang out with me more than his owner. And I found some articles about how dogs show emotions and how it has been scientifically proven that they do. I wanted to share them with all you dog lovers..because, well, we never really knew for sure if our dogs 100% cared for us in the same way we cared about them and now it has been proven that they do!

A few excerpts and a couple of links..the articles say it much better than I ever could. ..

Brain Scan Article:

That's right — scientists are actually studying the dog brains. And what the studies show is welcome news for all dog owners: Not only do dogs seem to love us back, they actually see us as their family. It turns out that dogs rely on humans more than they do their own kind for affection, protection and everything in between.

The scientists found that dog owners' aroma actually sparked activation in the "reward center" of their brains, called the caudate nucleus. Of all the wafting smells to take in, dogs actually prioritized the hint of humans over anything or anyone else.

Among other surprising findings, the study revealed marked similarities in the way dog and human brains process emotionally laden vocal sounds. Researchers found that happy sounds in particular light up the auditory cortex in both species. This commonality speaks to the uniquely strong communication system underlying the dog-human bond. In short: Dogs don't just seem to pick up on our subtle mood changes — they are actually physically wired to pick up on them.

Faces in the Dogs Brain Article:

dogs are an excellent model to study the social cognition in a comparative approach, as they possess unique cognitive skills that make them more similar to a human infant than other species [6–10]. Although the ability to discriminate between two human faces is not exclusive to dogs (it has been observed in other species that are in close contact with humans, such as sheep), the detail of the information that a dog can acquire from a mere glimpse towards a human face, even without training [11], is extraordinary. Dogs are especially good at discriminating between two humans, even if they are both familiar to them [12], but also, they have a remarkable ability to pick up small but important signals in a human face, like the attentional state [13] (e.g., they prefer to ask for food from a human with whom they can establish eye contact), and the emotional state [14] (they can discriminate between smiling and neutral faces). Similarly, dogs spend more time looking at a new human face in an image than at a familiar one, which suggests that they can discriminate between individuals using only visual cues [15]. Also, dogs pay significantly less attention to their owner, if the owner has his or her head covered [16]. This tendency to look at a human face during interaction has not been found in other canids, not even in extremely socialized wolves [11]. Altogether, these findings show that dogs are capable of perceiving subtle traits in human faces and that they use this information to modulate their behavior.

And... proof that dogs love their owners more than cats do..(sorry cat lovers)

The results show the hormone increased by an average of 57.2 per cent in dogs but only by 12 per cent in cats. This means in theory, dogs love their humans more than cats do. "I was really surprised to discover that dogs produced such high levels of oxytocin… the dog level of 57.2 per cent is a very powerful response. It shows these dogs really care about their owners. It was also a nice surprise to discover that cats produce any at all. At least some of the time, cats seem to bond with their owners,” he added. Some think that cats don't actually like their owners at all - this study at least proves that wrong.

So, I'm left wondering why the puppy would choose to follow and stay with me over it's owner and knowing that my dogs truly do love me, but also that my cats..well, at least they tolerate my presence ...

Thanks for reading..
blend57

a reply to: blend57

I read an article recently which had much of what you linked in the Original Post but also explained that humans are wired to receive the same type of bio-chemical stimulation from our dogs. It is a co-dependent mutually symbiotic relationship.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I read that part somewhere as well in one of the articles. It makes me wonder why cats have not reached that same level of co- dependency.

Cats have been interacting with humans for roughly 5300 years. Dogs have been interacting with humans for well over 15,000 years and possibly, due to new findings, double that number. So, maybe it is due to the amount of time spent with each other.. cats need a few more thousand years under their belt..lol

Cats:

Dogs may be man's best friend, but new research shows that cats may have been humanity's companions for thousands of years. For more on the feline's long history with people, Audie Cornish talks with Dr. Fiona Marshall, an archaeologist at Washington University in St. Louis, and co-author of a study that looks at how cats may have been domesticated almost 5,300 years ago in China.

Dogs:

Scientists have long studied the close relationship between humans and dogs, and various theories have been proposed to explain just how far back in time the relationship goes. Most agree that dogs and humans have coexisted for at least 16,000 years. In this new effort, the research team suggests it might be twice that long Read more at: phys.org...

a reply to: blend57

I think another 7,500 years interacting with cats will cement our position as their fully enslaved servants.

And... proof that dogs love their owners more than cats do..(sorry cat lovers)

I can testify to that. Dogs allow you to be their owners. Cats have a mind control power. They own their owners.

You were talking that dog's language. It got good vibes from you. Maybe for the first time in its life.

We tend to keep Schnauzers. They pick one member of the family. That one belongs to them ... and it's mere tolerance for everyone else. It's a good feeling to be chosen.

a reply to: blend57

This cat loved her family. Saved her boy from a dog attack.



But yeah, no duh, dogs LOVE their family. Who needs science to tell us that?

a reply to: Gothmog

Yeah.. just reading how cats don't even need us. They have no separation anxiety and really don't care if we are there or not. And I used to love my cat! What do I do now knowing I'm just her personal servant??

a reply to: Snarl

I sooo wanted to keep the little guy. I saw the collar .. but was hopeful I wouldn't find the owner. We just immediately clicked. But it is better that I didn't keep him. I have 3 dogs already and can't afford another, either financially or time wise. Just a month or so ago I had to take a stray up to the vet. I wanted to keep him so bad too. But he is now in the special needs program and last time I heard, he was being placed within a shelter home until he could get a family. Otherwise I was gonna take that one too. Seems like I get chosen quite a bit...

If you want to see who love you more, your wife or your dog:

Lock them in the trunk of your car. Come back in 3 hours to open it and see which is still happy to see you.

a reply to: blend57

Although currently we are dogless (ours reside in heaven but one day we will have puppies again), I have NO DOUBT that Cats have the capacity to LOVE their humans. Perhaps with not as much frequency as dogs, but they do.

Case 1: A kitten I found on the street didn't make it. However, I knew where his sisters were so I rescued the rest of them. Of the litter, one in particular, my "Girl Baby Girl" (nickname) was madly in love with her daddy (me). The only cat I've ever known that kissed me like a doggy does. She would go crazy when I was home and when she sat on my lap, even if she was comfortable, she would keep rearranging herself until she was comfortable AND looking at me. That cat LOVED. I have no question about that. (Tons of other stories and anecdotes but this will have to suffice for now).

Case 2: A few years ago a kitten appeared and we fed her and brought her to get fixed and get her shots. She's a little thing and she is our only indoor-outdoor cat. She is a warrior princess. No, she is MY warrior princess. When I'm in the yard and a giant wasp or hornet is harassing me, she comes flying out of nowhere to swipe it out of the air and kills it. When I set outside at night to get a breath of fresh air and someone is walking down the street (with our without a dog) she immediately puts herself in between me and the potential threat (and takes a "what you want?" pose). When she isn't out there defending me, she is cuddled up with me on my lap. This cat LOVES me. I have no questions about that. (Tons of other stories and anecdotes but this will have to suffice for now).

I'm sure a scientist can measure enzymes or blood pressure or a host of other things to try to explain it away. But as far as I'm concerned. Dogs love, yes.... but so CAN cats.

Disclaimer: Some cats are just dicks. Most, are not.

a reply to: eluryh22

I have no doubt that some cats can love too. And it sounds like you are very loving to your animals in return. Maybe that's why you have had such good experiences with all of them. I have both cats and dogs. And would not give any of them up for anything. But my dogs do express their love for me more often and in more noticeable ways then my cats do. I still have many, many loving moments with both though.

Sorry to hear about your dogs. Is very hard to go through something like that.

Thanks,
blend57

a reply to: blend57

What a heart-warming and wonderful article.

Thanks thanks!

Now . . . where is the dog university wherein dogs are teaching classes of humans

how to . . .

LOVE?

I think part of the attachment lies in the fact that we've bred and trained dogs for a long time to obey us and be loyal.

Cats? Not so much.

Dogs often depend on us for food, even if they are trained to hunt or retrieve. The majority of dog owners would be pretty mortified if their dog was killing cats all the time (one of my dogs would love if this was her "job" in life), or even other small animals.

Cats? We don't care what cats kill, because the majority of their prey are vermin to us, therefore, we've never bred out the drive and ability to kill their own food (even if they are always inside cats).

Dogs will revert to feral behaviour within a few generations if allowed to (think street dogs in very poor countries). Once fully feral, the vast majority of these dogs could give two shakes less about a human.

I'm a dog person. A stray cat had a litter of kittens on my property this January. By April, I had managed to find homes for all except one, the male cat. I gave him to a family that lived about 8 miles away. The next morning, he showed up, ready to be fed. I figured if he's smart enough to find his way home like that, he's a keeper. He's a bit of a chow hound, so I named him Marvin (after Starvin' Marvin from South Park). Took him to the vet, got him fixed and got him his shots.

He fits right in with my other dogs. He stays in the shop at night and he's happy to see me in the morning. He demands attention. If I walk by and ignore him he reaches out with his claws and grabs me. He follows me around like a dog. He plays a little rough, my arms always have scratches and bite marks, but he seems to love me almost like the dogs do.

I think he might be trans-dog.

a reply to: blend57 sorry, I have to disagree about the love from a cat. If anyone is like me, that aloof sort of loving eye blink from a cat is the jist of how we love one another...I read up on how cats say I love you and the slow blink is proof.
I don't have anything against dogs... except if they snarl, bark and growl... but a smile from a dog is very comforting so I will read the articles in your OP when I get in that mode later...I read everything you wrote, though.😃😂😄

There is only one cat I ever really loved, and it's the cat I live with now. Not my cat mind you.

He waits for me to come home from work and follows me around all day. If I sit somewhere he's right there with me. He's my sister-in-law's cat, but he's my bro.

We're like that now.

Bros.

My dog's face is highly expressive -- so much so that I can almost tell what she's thinking.

I thought to myself:

"Self, if she expresses herself to me with her face, I wonder if she watches my facial expressions to try and understand me? Maybe she tries to talk to me all the time with her face, and assumes that I do the same?"

a reply to: eluryh22

I'd have to agree. Our latest cat was rescued by me as a kitten. For all intentions, I am his mother AND father. The love he gives to me is unlike any other of the 7 other cats I have had. Imprinting is a huge part of it.

My husband's an all-animals person, they flock to him for some reason. He marginally prefers dogs, but so long as we have our current cat, he sees no need for a dog. This cat has them licked in obedience, and loyalty (sorry, dog lovers. Some cats are better dogs than dogs!)

Projectvxn, that's our cat, too. Ours waits for my husband at the door every day to walk in from work, and it's shadow time til bed. They're pretty inseparable, you can tell the cat just adores him.

There's an old saying that always makes me chuckle, but I have no idea who originally penned it:

"Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, and pigs see us as equals."