Proven: people love dogs more than they love people

After watching the movie Hachi, I was inconsolable for days. I can't imagine that there are people who don't know this classic, but if you haven't seen it: keep it that way. I wouldn't wish this intense sadness on anyone, especially not on those who have a dog.

All dog lovers surely recognize that intensely warm feeling when you look at your dog. You might cry because you love this little creature so much. The chance is quite big that you miss your dog more than your partner when you step out the door for a moment. At least, that's how I experience it. Is that actually strange?

Fortunately, that's not strange at all, because research shows that people feel more empathy for dogs than for adult humans. This is because we generally consider dogs to be part of the family. As if it is our child instead of our pet, and you ultimately place your ‘child’ above everything.

For the research published in Society & Animals, 240 people were confronted with fake newspaper articles and police reports. These discussed both dogs and humans who were attacked. In the fake report, the victim (human, baby, puppy, or large dog) was attacked with a baseball bat by an unknown assailant. The victim was then left unconscious with a broken leg and multiple cuts. The big question was: how do the participants react to the different victims?

The participants felt equally as much empathy for puppies, older dogs, and human babies. The adult human came in last. Dogs were thus seen more as babies than as animals. Quite remarkable, right? Additionally, the researchers concluded that the four-legged friends are indeed considered family. Some participants even indicated that they preferred their dog over certain family members. I can completely relate to this.

So do you sometimes feel that you are more in love with your dog than with your partner? Know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that; after all, it's your furry child.

Source: Metronieuws