Do dogs know were sad when we cry?
Previous research has shown that when humans cry, their dogs also feel distress. … Now, the new study finds that dogs not only feel distress when they see that their owners are sad but will also try to do something to help.
Psychologists acknowledge that this is a common phenomenon. In fact, a 2013 Northeastern University study tracked people’s reactions to a made-up news story. The researchers created four different articles about beatings that happened to either a dog, a puppy, a child, or an adult. People had the strongest reaction when reading about the beating of a child, but closely behind it were their feelings for the puppy and full-grown dog. The adult human received the least amount of sympathy.
Chelsea Hunt-Rivera, a Los Angeles-based animal advocate, knows what Risso means. Hunt-Rivera, the founder of the pet wellness site SimpleWag.com couldn’t enjoy the 2014 Keanu Reeves revenge film, “John Wick.” Early within the story, his dog is killed. She says, “Throughout the movie, I’d just burst into tears because I couldn’t stop thinking about the dog.”
As a culture, we also often don’t blame dogs for bad behavior. We assume they don’t know better and expect humans to train them. “Even when people are mean or abuse them, dogs will still go back to the person thinking they did something wrong. When an adult in a film dies, I justify it and think, ‘you’re no angel,’” says Hunt-Rivera.
Jessica Wozinsky is a writer and editor based near Atlanta, Georgia.
Despite dogs being a different species than us, we still look at them as having the same feelings and thought patterns that we do. “We only have a limited number of ways to relate to the world, so we automatically see through the lens of humans, which is known as anthropomorphism,” explains Popple. Seeing them that way can make witnessing their demise even more painful.
Do dogs mourn?
Dog lovers consider big, mournful puppy eyes gazing at them to be heartwarming. Those soulful glances melt human hearts. But could those mournful eyes indicate that the dog is actually mourning?