[Texas Fossil]

Varies from breed to breed.

Australian Shepherds are some of the best.

English pointers are very good too.

[hinckley buzzard]

It is known that dogs form attachments to humans through elevated levels of oxytocin, the "bonding hormone" active in human to human bonding. It probably mediates the effect reported here.

[LibWhacker]

All my dogs have been able to read me like a book. I have to be careful though, because although they can tell when I’m PO’d (at some idiot liberal on TV, say), they cannot conceive that I’m mad at someone who isn’t even present in the room. They always think I’m mad at them, and that hurts their feelings very badly. Then I have to go apologize and scratch their ears for an hour. I spend a lot of time scratching ears.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Did they interview any cats?

[Sybeck1]

Obama used to have a best friend

[PGR88]

researchers have shown they can recognise emotions in humans by combining information from different senses.

Of course dogs can do this. That's why humans and dogs found each other 10,000 years ago. If any other species could do it, THEY would be "mans best friend" but they can't - only dogs can.

[Yaelle]

I have lived with a cat or two since I was seven years old. Yes, they also, like dogs, seem to know when you are sad or ill.

[matthew fuller]

"They are the only creatures outside of humans who have been observed to have that ability. "

I think that is a false statement. Large pet birds have been observed protecting their owners, and I am willing to bet that chimpanzees, and possibly other primates have the ability to read human emotion.

[djf]

I have, for a long time, thought that dogs were the second-most intelligent creature on Earth!

Well, actually the first, if you toss in a bunch of Dems...

[Albion Wilde]

Newsflash: cats can, too. It's just that cats don't give a damn.

[lewislynn]

Dogs can read human emotions,

Absolutely, without a doubt.

They had to do a study?

They also read minds (yes, I'm serious). They not only read body language they use body language AND facial expressions. They know when it's time to do something even when the clocks are changed.

But I had a Border Collie, she could do all that and more.

[envisio]

Why do they keep doing these ‘studies’?
Just ask a dog owner, they coulda told them that.

[MayflowerMadam]

We have a cat who is totally tuned in to reading our faces to determine our moods, etc. It’s freaky, actually. The other cats don’t give a damn — just this one.

[PghBaldy]

What about Robin Williams’ friend, Koko Roberts?