You love your dog, that’s a no-brainer, and it’s clear the emotion is deeper than ever projected.
Now scientists have taken the unconditional love you have for your dog to the next level, confirming that it’s very similar to a mother-child connection.
“I don’t have a son and I could say that I love my dog like a child”, “My dog trusts me for absolutely everything; I would do anything for my dog.” These dream to be very common phrases for those who love their canine friends as if they were their children.
Just as pet parents are validating their adoration of their canines, research analysts at the Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed that the bond between puppy and pet owner was very similar to maternal love, according to the 2014 study published in PLOS ONE.
The researchers recruited a group of women who had a child between the ages of two and ten, as well as a dog that had been living in their homes for at least two years.
The subjects were shown images of their dog and their children, where a scanner then picked up the signals of affection that were triggered in the brain.
“No matter what you do or how you treat him, the love of dogs is infinite, their affection is immense and their fidelity is unconditional.”
“Mothers reported similar emotional ratings for their child and their dog, eliciting greater positive emotional responses than unfamiliar children and dogs,” the study concluded.
Devin Crouch, stay-at-home mom and mom who treats her dogs like children, and owner of the ‘carterandtoby’ Instagram account, believes you can love your dog like a baby.
“We have an almost two-year-old son and I refer to Toby, our dog, as one of my children,” says Crouch. “I think seeing Toby love our son as if he were one of his pups or his brother makes the love I have for him even greater.”