Why do people have pets? Why do they have dogs as pets?
Animal behaviorist Frania Shelley-Grielend said humans have pets for so many different reasons.
“Some are how those pets might benefit them whether it be through companionship, protection, to satisfy a curiosity or something else. And other reasons are for how they might benefit the pet through care taking, training or companionship,” Shelley-Grielend explained.
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Basically, she said we take care of pets because they’re cute.
Our brains automatically think we need to hug them, snuggle them, and take care of them.
“When people see [pets’] cute faces, it stimulates caretaking behavior,” cat researcher Mikel Delgado said. “They remind us of babies, and so there’s this drive to take care of something that is small, cute, maybe cries and needs help.”
We can deny it all we want but that’s the truth.
That’s why some people are okay with living alone because they have pets to feed, bathe, care for, and to love. That’s why some unhappy people perk up or feel their lives brighten up when they begin to live with four-legged companions.
Even the hardest hearts have seen themselves softening because of these furry babies.
And even though dogs and puppies can be a handful because of their energy, even the crankiest heart can’t help but love them and care for them.
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And dogs can sense that love.
They can sense so much in us. They can sense our mood and they react to whatever we’re feeling at that moment.
They know when we’re not paying attention so they know the exact moment when they can steal our food or toy or favorite chair.
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Dogs can sense when we’re sick and they’ll be there to comfort us and help us heal faster.
And they also know when a human can’t be trusted.
In this video, an elderly woman sweeps outside while her dogs are being mischievous and playful.
But one of them is also paying attention.
When the woman bent her knees so she can sit down on the small stool, the dog had already seen it was too far away from her. The dog pushes the stool closer to the woman. The dog pushes until the woman can reach for it.
Once she was safely on the stool, the dog gets up on their back legs and leans on the woman for support.
Someone wants to play with their human!
It’s good to know that this elderly woman has someone who’s looking out for her. She probably takes care of her dogs in the best (spoiled) way possible. And that’s probably why her dogs are also looking out for her.
It’s hard enough to move around when you’re elderly. But to fall or get injured as an elderly is even harder.
The dogs may not be able to carry her or take care of her like a human. But it’s good to know that they’re looking out for her the best way they know how.
Watch how the dog pushes the chair for the woman in the video below.
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