We all know how much we love our dogs, and having a pet is a choice (and a luxury), but have you ever considered that once you have a pet, you cannot live as well without one?
I know I love my dog. She makes me happy. I feel good when I see her face. Even a photo of her makes me smile. Love is one of the most desired human experiences. Love manifests itself in a variety of forms, from romantic love to parental love and friendship love. Studies suggest that brain chemicals play a role in the positive love feelings for humans and that experiencing love is critical to the normal development and continued well-being of humans as a species. ¹
The same positive hormone reactions occur in humans when they see their dogs. One such study proved an increase in oxytocin in human being exposed to their dog’s gaze.² Since brain chemicals allow us to experience feelings of love and these feelings are imperative to our very survival, one could say that we depend on the presence of love in our lives. “Without loving relationships, humans fail to flourish, even if all of their other basic needs are met.” ³
If we as a species have a physiological need for love, then I believe that we have scientific support for how important our pets are to us. We are a social and gregarious lot as humans and pets fit right in. They give us warmth and companionship. Their presence in our lives causes release of these hormones that we apparently cannot live without.
We might be able to subsist without pets, but just living is not enough. We want to flourish. Without love, humans are merely surviving, but when we love dogs, they elevate us from surviving to thriving.
- From affiliative behaviors to romantic feelings: a role of nanopeptides. Debiec J. FEBS Lett. 2007 Jun 12;581(14):2580-6. Epub 2007 May 8.
- Hormones & Behavior, 2009 Mar;55(3):434-41.Dog’s gaze at its owner increases owner’s urinary oxytocin during social interaction.
- EMBO Rep. Jan 2013; 14(1): 12–16. Published online Nov 27, 2012. doi: 1038/embor.2012.191 PMCID: PMC3537144Science and Society The biochemistry of love: an oxytocin hypothesis
