The video below tells the bittersweet story of two dogs that lived as strays at the Ontario airport for a year and a half after being abandoned. They were very bonded to each other and Queenie eventually had pups. Luckily a couple had been feeding them during the whole time but were not able to get near them to be able to catch them. Eventually a rescue was contacted and Queenie and Bud Bud were caught using a trap. The story continues by showing how the two dogs responded to their rescuers eventually through love and the development of trust.
So do dogs really feel love as we do?
Many people try to explain that dogs do not really feel love as humans do but rather are reacting to being fed or given attention.
Marc Bekoff, a behavioural biologist at the University of Colorado, has a different interpretation. He notes that dogs are social animals. All social animals need emotions, in part as a means of communication-for instance you need to know to back off if another animal is growling. More importantly, however, emotions keep the social group together and motivate individuals to protect and support each other. Bekoff concludes that strong emotion is one of the foundations of social behaviour and is the basis of the connection between individuals in any social group, whether it is a pack, a family or just a couple in love.
Recent research has even identified some of the chemicals associated with feelings of love in humans. These include hormones such as oxytocin, which seems to help people form emotional bonds with each other. One of the triggers that causes oxytocin to be released is gentle physical touching, such as stroking. Dogs also produce oxytocin, and one of our common ways of interacting with dogs is to gently pet them, an action that probably releases this hormone associated with bonding. If dogs as social animals have an evolutionary need for close emotional ties, and they have the chemical mechanisms associated with loving, it makes sense to assume that they are capable of love, as we are.
Excerpted from Can Dogs Love? A True Story
By Stanley Coren
So do dogs really feel love as we do?
Many people try to explain that dogs do not really feel love as humans do but rather are reacting to being fed or given attention.
Marc Bekoff, a behavioural biologist at the University of Colorado, has a different interpretation. He notes that dogs are social animals. All social animals need emotions, in part as a means of communication-for instance you need to know to back off if another animal is growling. More importantly, however, emotions keep the social group together and motivate individuals to protect and support each other. Bekoff concludes that strong emotion is one of the foundations of social behaviour and is the basis of the connection between individuals in any social group, whether it is a pack, a family or just a couple in love.
Recent research has even identified some of the chemicals associated with feelings of love in humans. These include hormones such as oxytocin, which seems to help people form emotional bonds with each other. One of the triggers that causes oxytocin to be released is gentle physical touching, such as stroking. Dogs also produce oxytocin, and one of our common ways of interacting with dogs is to gently pet them, an action that probably releases this hormone associated with bonding. If dogs as social animals have an evolutionary need for close emotional ties, and they have the chemical mechanisms associated with loving, it makes sense to assume that they are capable of love, as we are.
Excerpted from Can Dogs Love? A True Story
By Stanley Coren
VIDEO Two Stray Dogs in Love Get Rescued Together
i am old, i am jaded,
my time is through
my sight has faded.
but my eyes see light
and love's beauty,
binds,
for kindness, never
measured,
and so very hard
to find♥
What a heart warming video. I'm so happy they were rescued together.
Très touchant! Pauvres bêtes! C'est une très belle histoire de douceur et de sauvetage! Bravo!
Tolle Geschichte. Ich musste dabei weinen....es rührt mich. Traurig das es immer wieder vor kommt das Menschen so liebeswerte Tiere aussetzen. Schön das es Menschen gibt die sich um sie kümmern.