Dogs are man’s best friend

IMG_8042This week my family is welcoming a new dog into the house! She’s an eight month old yellow lab named Macy, and even though I haven’t met her I’m in love with her. You always here the words “Dogs are a man’s best friend”  and they really are. Dogs are the only things in this world that love you more than they love themselves, but how did this relationship develop?

It is believed that humans and wolves made a close relationship after recognizing each other while hunting on the trail of big game. Researchers believe that humans followed wolves, and wolves began to wait for scraps fro humans who were better hunters, and likely the two learned from each other in hunting techniques. As humans and wolves spent more and more time together wolves began to evolve because the population of dog-wolves became isolated from wolves, and began to evolve into present day dogs. The Washington Post published an article that claims this domestication of dogs began up to 40,000 years ago!

Now if you talk to any dog person, myself included, they’ll say that they have a true connection with their dog and that they are more a part of the family than a pet. According to scientific tests, when dogs and humans look into each others eyes they both have a surge of oxytocin- the hormone associated with love and trust. Moreover, a study using MRIs showed that when dogs smelled scents from familiar humans the parts of their brains associated with happiness and love were more active than when they smelled familiar dogs!

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The study also found that dogs not only pick up on our subtle mood changes, they are wired to do so! Hearing happy sounds lights up part of the auditory cortex in both dogs and humans, this commonality speaks to an underlying bond and a uniquely strong communicational system. Personally, all my dogs have always tried to comfort me or my other family members when they are upset, and have always been there.

Dogs are man (and woman)’s best friend, they can sense our emotions, and form unique bonds with unique communicational skills. Which makes the amount of dogs abandoned on the street that much more shocking. I urge anybody considering getting a dog to consider the true time commitment, and if you can’t commit for their life then don’t get one. On that note, until next time!

Sources:

NPR 

Salon

Science.Mic

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