No wonder they are man’s best friend. I wonder what the experiment would result in if it were run with other animals such as cats and horses. I bet that dogs would be found to be the most responsive.
.Cat's would laugh at you.....
Of course dogs are the most responsive, but cats and some horses note human distress. They just react to it in more subtle ways, ways we may not detect or find comforting.
Anyone who rides horses in a serious manner will tell you that horses react to the emotions of riders. A horse who is apparently misbehaving is sometimes reflecting the emotional upset of his rider, an emotional state the human can successfully conceal from other humans. Any trainer will agree that if you are nervous, the horses can tell and will become nervous too, or will otherwise respond. My horses have become very affectionate when I'm upset, putting their heads in my arms, grooming me gently with their teeth, following me around, resting heads on my shoulder, etc.
I had a mama cat who comforted my young children only when they cried. She was the only cat of mine that did this - I always considered it a maternal thing, but I do think that animals are empathetic, maybe moreso than many humans I know.