Dearest news: dogs cry when they are reunited with their owner

Just this news alone makes me want to cry. Isn't this the sweetest thing ever? That you go on vacation and obviously enjoy it immensely, but you really miss your buddy at home. In other words, your dog. I have a cat myself, but the feeling I get every time I have to leave her behind when I leave breaks my heart every time. And then I wonder: will she miss me too or does it not really matter as long as she gets food and hopefully a bit of attention?

In the case of dogs, it absolutely matters, because new research shows that dogs shed tears of joy when they are reunited with their owner. SO SWEET. This year, that research was published in the journal Current Biology. They conducted this study among 22 dog owners who had to leave their dogs alone for five to seven hours and were then reunited with their dog.

And indeed: tears were actually observed in the dogs. Scientists suspect that this is related to the substance oxytocin, a hormone that is essential for bonding between people, and thus between animals. It is also known as the ‘cuddle hormone’, which is a logical nickname. Cuddling with dogs, love it.

But there is more good news. Do you have a dog in your friend group that you are not the owner of but that you adore? You are in luck; dogs also produced tears with people they knew but who were not their own owner. Dogs are truly everyone's friends, science says so.