As dog owners, we readily acknowledge that we love our dogs. Why else do we get out of a warm bed and take them outside in freezing temperatures early in the morning? Why do we leave a great restaurant before dessert and head home to feed them? Why do we immediately forgive them after they chew our favorite slippers? To say that dogs are “man’s best friend” is an understatement for many of us. Yet, the lingering question remains….Do our dogs love us back?

What does research say?

An innovative team of scientists at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia took a clinical approach in investigating the emotional state of dogs. Using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Scientists exposed dogs to certain odors, and then scanned their brains. Changes in brain function provided data on the emotional state of the dogs.

Why odors? Dogs navigate the world with their sense of smell. In fact, dogs, unlike humans, depend on their sense of smell more than sight to interpret their surroundings. The way dogs process and respond to smells reflects their feelings. The experiment used odors to stimulate the canine brain. Using MRI, scientists measured the neural responses of dogs as they were exposed to odors of both familiar and unfamiliar people and dogs.

The experiment revealed that when a dog smelled the familiar aroma of his owner, the “reward center” of the brain (caudate nucleus) was activated. The caudate nucleus contains many dopamine receptors and in human brains, like canine brains, it lights up when exposed to pleasurable experiences. For example, the smell of your favorite meal simmering on the stove might light up your brain. Of all the smells presented to the dogs, they responded more favorably to human odors than to the scent of canine companions. Moreover, a dog’s caudate nucleus was activated most significantly when the dog actually smelled someone they knew. A similar response occurs in humans when they are shown photos of people they love.

"A dog’s caudate nucleus was activated
most significantly when the dog actually
smelled someone they knew."

In related research performed in Budapest, scientists studied canine brain activity when exposed to sound to learn what happens inside the dog’s brain when we speak to them. When exposed to happy sounds, the canine brain responded much the same way the human brain does by lighting up the auditory cortex. This illustrates the effective communication that occurs between dog and human, validating the human-animal bond.

Through science, we have learned that our canine friends are social, emotional beings that respond to human smells and voices. They react with joy to our scent and respond to the tone of our voice. Science proves that part of the canine brain is associated with positive emotions and they do, indeed, feel love for their human companions.