A dog's life: study reveals people's hormonal link with tail-waggers

Reuters via Yahoo News ^ | 4/16/15 | Will Dunham

[Kartographer]

Dogs are called "man's best friend" - women's, too - and scientists say the bond between people and their pooches may be deeper than you might think.

Researchers in Japan said on Thursday oxytocin, a hormone that among other things helps reinforce bonds between parents and their babies, increases in humans and their dogs when they interact, particularly when looking into one another's eyes.

They described a series of experiments that suggest that people and their canine companions have mutually developed this instinctual bonding mechanism in the thousands of years since dogs were first domesticated.

[BigEdLB]

Rufus would tell you that LOL

[trisham]

And in perfect English, no doubt. :)

[trisham]

Or maybe perfect French. :)

[lormand]

One of my favorite things in life....Ruby!

[BigEdLB]

Actually in German. His father’s name is Wolfgang and his mother is Anna

[trisham]

A German poodle. :)

[Georgia Girl 2]

Our dog is our child. You eff with our dog you eff with us. LOL!

[cripplecreek]

Yeah that’s the way I feel about it.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Your dogs are so cute. We are thinking about getting a JRT for our Chihuahua to mother as soon as we get over losing Buddy our Beagle. It was a year last month and I just can’t get past it yet. He was one in a million.

[cripplecreek]

I go the other way. I immediately get another dog.

[Does so]

One of my favorite things in life....Ruby!

I've had eight of 'em! Eight very different personalities...

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[XRdsRev]

From the “Battle of Gettysburg Buff” website.....

“The back of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment monument, located on Doubleday Avenue south of the observation tower on Oak Ridge, honors the memory of their beloved mascot, Sallie.

When the Union line collapsed north of town on July 1 and the men of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment eventually regrouped on Cemetery Hill, Sallie was among the missing. However, when members of the regiment returned on July 5 to Oak Ridge to bury their dead from the first day’s fighting, Sallie was still there, watching over and guarding the dead and wounded.

Sadly, Sallie did not survive the Civil War; she was shot in battle at Hatcher’s Run, Virginia, in 1864. Like her masters, she is gone but not forgotten.”

[5th MEB]

I hope that I am a pretty good human being; hope to make the cut when I ain’t using this old carcass any more, but if there ain’t no dogs in Heaven I ain’t goin.

[WVKayaker]

My former friend and constant partner... My Dog "Spot" (see: Spoticus Dalmation on Facebook (w/more than 1200 "friends"!) I gave him to a family with 2 young boys, and he found a good home! I cried!

My new best friend ... Cadbury (like the chocolate), so named by my Filipina wife. He is almost one year old (May 9) and the wife wants to have a birthday party for him!!!

[KirbDog]

Always enjoy your photos. Here's one of my girls.

[lonevoice]

Haha. I always knew he was staring into everybody's eyes for a reason. Very effective, too.

[Salamander]

If you don’t give him a party, he will never forget.

Dobes are like that.

Mine get a big stinking federal case made of it, every birthday.

:)

[BigEdLB]

Sweet

[Grumpybutt]

Here's my buddies...