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Study: Dogs show empathy to crying people
upi ^ | June 8, 2012

Posted on 06/18/2012 7:20:06 AM PDT by JoeProBono

LONDON, - Dogs respond to a person who is crying regardless of whether it is their owner or an unfamiliar person, researchers in Britain found.

Dr. Deborah Custance and Jennifer Mayer, both of the Department of Psychology at the University of London, developed a procedure to examine whether domestic dogs could identify and respond to emotional states in humans.

Eighteen pet dogs -- a range of ages and breeds -- were exposed to four separate 20-second experimental conditions in which either the dog's owner or an unfamiliar person pretended to cry, hummed in an odd manner, or carried out a casual conversation.

More dogs looked at, approached and touched the humans as they were crying as opposed to humming, and no dogs responded to those talking, Custance said.

The study, published in the journal Animal Cognition, found a majority of dogs in the study responded to the crying person in a submissive manner consistent with empathic concern and comfort-offering.

"If the dogs' approaches during the crying condition were motivated by self-oriented comfort-seeking, they would be more likely to approach their usual source of comfort, their owner, rather than the stranger," Mayer said in a statement. "No such preference was found. The dogs approached whoever was crying regardless of their identity. Thus they were responding to the person's emotion, not their own needs, which is suggestive of empathic-like comfort-offering behavior."


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: dog
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To: johniegrad

41 posted on 06/18/2012 6:22:31 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet - Mater tua caligas exercitus gerit ;-{)
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To: JoeProBono

This looks just like Mock Dog.


42 posted on 06/18/2012 7:02:14 PM PDT by KirbDog
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To: KirbDog

43 posted on 06/18/2012 7:08:55 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet - Mater tua caligas exercitus gerit ;-{)
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To: johniegrad
One time, he ran directly into my legs and planted me face down.

My big, "rescue" Golden Retriever did that to my husband when he was brought to our house by his foster mom on a visit to see if we might adopt him. He flushed a cat out from under the deck and started chasing the cat and knocked over my husband in the process. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking shocked and rather sheepish. He's been with us ever since.

44 posted on 06/18/2012 7:30:32 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: JoeProBono

You have the best doggie pictures.

That first one was great... I had to save it.


45 posted on 06/18/2012 7:42:17 PM PDT by altura
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To: JoeProBono

And how much did this worhtless study co$t ?
Anyone who has a dog knows this !


46 posted on 06/18/2012 7:45:30 PM PDT by TsonicTsunami08
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To: 9YearLurker

Husband to wife: “Honey, I can’t help it, it’s a habit I learned from the dog.”

:-)


47 posted on 06/18/2012 7:47:17 PM PDT by Altariel ("Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!")
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To: Pride in the USA; Stillwaters
Photobucket
48 posted on 06/18/2012 7:50:45 PM PDT by lonevoice (Today I broke my personal record for most consecutive days lived)
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To: JoeProBono

Who done it . . . ? ;-D. That look. Says it all. lol.


49 posted on 06/18/2012 8:11:15 PM PDT by GOP Poet
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To: JoeProBono

Good dog test.

Fall in the floor as if you were in distress.

A good dog will come to the rescue..Licking or trying to turn you.

Bad dog will get nippy or show signs of stress themselves.


50 posted on 06/18/2012 9:10:33 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (Viva Christo Rey)
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To: TASMANIANRED

“A good dog will come to the rescue..Licking or trying to turn you.

Bad dog will get nippy or show signs of stress themselves.”

When I was trying to make my German Shepherd pool safe, he kept trying to rescue me. There’s a reason they aren’t water dogs with their jaw strength!


51 posted on 06/18/2012 9:29:49 PM PDT by pops88 (Standing with Breitbart for truth.)
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To: JoeProBono

Awww.... Some cats will also comfort humans, but not all. We have a huge neutered tomcat (John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom!) who is the sweetest big lug. Whenever I sneeze, he mews like he’s blessing me, and if I cry, he’s instantly by me, head-butting me and trying to cheer me up. My other three cats, I admit, are not nearly so empathetic (though they are quite affectionate).


52 posted on 06/18/2012 11:14:02 PM PDT by Hetty_Fauxvert ( "Be Breitbart, baby!")
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To: JoeProBono

OMG...so sweet!


53 posted on 06/19/2012 5:04:12 PM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie
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