The hardest part of being away at school for me is not being able to come home to my dog everyday. I used to bring her everywhere with me and there was nothing better than being greeted every time we met with a smile and waging tail.She was always there for me when I was feeling down but I always wondered if she truly understood how I felt. You can always tell when a good friend is upset and I could always tell when something was wrong with her but could she do the same for me? The answer is yes.
Turns out many people have asked the same question as I did. Many owners have reported times when their dog has been sensitive towards family members in distress. Researchers at the University of Lincoln found that dogs can recognize emotion by facial expressions and change in tone. The study showed that dogs would spend a longer time looking at the people who showed emotion of sadness or anger than people who did not.
Dogs can also detect happiness within their owner. Dr. Corsin Muller of the University of veterinarian Medicine in Vienna has proven that dogs respond to the bearing of teeth in smiles. He then was able to train dogs to obey commands given through facial expressions such as the wrinkle between your eyes when you are angry.
Now I just can not wait to go home to my dog and for her to pick up the happiness I express due to our reunion!
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160112214507.htm
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150212-dogs-human-emotion-happy-angry-animals-science/
I know so many people, including myself, who would risk their lives for their dogs. It’s also sometimes insulting when non-dog owners do not understand the pain felt when we lose our furry friends. There is such a strong bond created between dog and human, and I’m happy you found evidence that the emotional understanding between us both is mutual! Although you found research, I have always had a hunch that my dogs could tell my emotion because when I was little, I fell and started crying and my dog came running up to me wagging his tail and licking my face – my parents said it was because he knew I was upset. Now that could have just been their way of making me feel better, but it worked and the studies you found support it, too. In the article below, researchers explored history and found that this connection between dog and human has existed all throughout evolution. Another thing it discusses, but not the only other thing, is the similarities between this bond and one between a mother and her baby.
http://phys.org/news/2016-03-explores-prehistoric-relationship-humans-dogs.html
As a dog owner, I feel your pain in regards to you missing your animals. I often joke with a hint of seriousness to my friends that I miss my dog more than my parents. Sometimes I wonder if he misses me too, or even realizes that I’m gone. Here is an interesting article on whether or not dogs do miss their owners, I wont ruin the surprise.
http://www.sciencealert.com/watch-do-dogs-really-miss-us-when-we-re-gone