Is it possible they could love you more?! ❤️
Trigger warning: You might weep reading this (but in a good way).
Dog parents will already be able to attest to the great affinity they have with their animals, but it appears that this emotional bond may go deeper than previously believed.
When a dog is reunited with its pet parent, tears frequently build up in their eyes, according to researchers at The University of Japan.
I’d say start the waterworks.
According to Takefumi Kikusui of Azabu University in Japan, “we discovered that dogs weep tears connected with happy feelings.” “We also identified oxytocin as a potential underlying mechanism behind it.”
When Kikusui observed a mother dog tending to her young, he was inspired to investigate this connection. While a dog’s tears don’t fall as they do in a human’s, they do get teary eyes, something shifted in her face, and there were tears.
That made Kikusui think that oxytocin might cause more tears.
Since positive interactions between dogs and their owners trigger the production of oxytocin, sometimes known as the “maternal” or “love” hormone, researchers sought to test this hypothesis by conducting a “reunification” experiment.
When scientists compared the amount of tears shed by dogs before and after they were reunited with their owners, they discovered that when they were with a familiar human (as opposed to a stranger), the dogs’ “crying” increased.
The volume of the dogs’ tears also increased when a dog-safe oxytocin solution was injected into their eyes, supporting the hypothesis that the release of oxytocin contributes to tear production when dogs and their pet parents reconnect.
We were all thrilled that this would be a first of its kind because “we had never heard of the fact that animals shed tears in joyous situations, such as reuniting with their owners,” Kikusui added.
It’s really fantastic, huh? Your reunion with your dog when you return home the following time will be much more enjoyable. You’re the one crying; not we are!
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