The affection that we share with our pets is truly undeniable. Compared to all the other species in the animal kingdom, humans have the most special attachment to dogs and vice versa. Being tagged as man’s best-friend, dogs can easily blend in and adjust to our way of living – making them the best pets in the world. There is this certain “understanding” that we share with them, even though it is hard to explain that seems to draw us closer to these four legged creatures. This article will tell you more about that “understanding” and why dogs have the ability to make us fall on love with them.
As they say, the eye is the window to the soul. This is particularly right in explaining the magic of dogs over us. They use their eyes when they communicate to us, more than their body language. Even if it is easier to interpret their messages when we look at their movements – their faces expression, movement of the tail, erection of the fur, etc., there is this not so obvious way which dogs use to ignite affection in us. Sounds very much like magic? Well, you could probably say that. Dogs’ ultimate love weapon is called oxytocin. We all produce this hormone when we are happy and when we feel loved. In a study done by Migo Nagasawa and his colleagues entitled “Hormones and Behavior”, they have proven that oxytocin levels increase in humans when dogs gaze at us. This is the reason why we are so sure when we say our pets love us. This hormone has the ability to stimulate the emotional satiety center in our brain that convinces us to feel fulfilled when we take care of pets. It makes us feel needed and wanted – which is basically a basic drive in the animal kingdom. The more bonded an owner is to his or her dog, the higher the oxytocin levels produced during contact time. These Japanese scientists measured oxytocin levels in the urine and compared them before and after the allotted bonding time with the dog. The results were interesting and clearly explain the feeling of “love” ignited when our pets stare at us. This means that more staring means higher oxytocin and a closer bonding and attachment.
