Do pets love us

[lainiej]

Do you think our pets sre capable of loving us ? I adore my dog and we spend almost all of our time together. There are times when we sort of gaze into each others eyes and I swear I can see love there. Is it possible or am I just being daft.

[raysparx]

Not being daft one bit, I had to have my lovely Alsatian put down last year, and while she was with us she often put her head on my knee and just stared at me for ages,she would then lick my hand and lay down,

when I had to take her to the vets for the last time there was a different look in her eyes,as if she was going to cry, I know I did on the way home.

Who cares anyway what others think, WE know they love us,don't we.

Ray

[Lollyhoney]

I think so!! Dogs are so loyal to their owners, and there must be a reason for it!! I know exactly what you mean!!

[gessoo]

Quite simply 'Yes'! One of little dogs loves us all, but I think she is simply 'in love' with my son. The look in her eyes when she sees him says it all.

There are probably cynics out there who will pooh pooh the idea, but how do we define 'love' anyway.

[andy-hughes]

i think there is an element of anthropomorhication going on here ( how fabulous is that word!), but there isw nothing wrong with that.

Dogs are pacxk animals, and as humans, you outrank them in the pack, so their loyalty is to you, and they may, or may not, express that loyalty when you look at them. Morely likely, they are reinforcing their bond by smelling you as they sit or lie near you, but I do understand what you say, I have had pet dogs and experienced the same sensation.

It may be wrong in scientific fact, but it feels good, and there's nothing wrong with feeling good in this world of ours, so don;t let anyone knock it.

[gessoo]

I agree Andy. But how can we define love? Everybody has a different idea of what love is and there are all sorts of love. To some it might just mean the sort of loyalty and devotion our dogs show us. :o)

[bruce5755]

I'm sure they are, think about it; if animals are capable of emotion ie whether they like or dislike certain people, then surely that emotion could be strengthened to either love or hate? Similarly as we humans do! Or do they just trust us by degree?

As a response to Ray, I know exactly what you mean, I recently had to have my puss Sooty put to sleep, and I'm sure he knew, there was a very sad look in his eyes, and I cant tell you the remorse I felt about betraying his trust. I cried for days on and off, and kept thinking about how I'd let him down! But we just could not see him suffer any longer, he had no quality of life anymore. He used to be such a big, heavy, strong puss and he just became a shadow of his former self.

I know I loved him, and I just hope he felt the same. I would like to think he did!

Bruce

[annavc]

I agree with all the posts so far. Whether you can call it love I don't know but there is definitely something. It's probably more common in dogs but some cats seem to do it too. My cat Sam is very attached to me - I'm the only person in the house that he will sit on, and he often just sits in the middle of the room staring at me. Just this morning after my alarm went off he jumped on to the bed and lay down, I stroked his head a couple of times but when I stopped he got up and moved nearer to me lying down with his front paws resting on my arm and just gazing at me. It could almost be a little disturbing if it wasn't so cute!!

[lainiej]

Thank you all so much for your lovely posts. Ray and Bruce I'm so sorry for your losses - I really dont know how I'll cope when the time comes for my Daisy to leave me. I'm glad that I'm not being daft - its a wonderful feeling anyway to have animals love you, trust you and depend on you so much that it makes me feel overawed sometimes. Daisy can make me cry just by looking at me intently cos it makes me wonder whats going on in her mind. Elaine

[Thunderbird+]

No, I dont think your being daft, if you treat your dog with kindness and affection I'm sure he will give much of the same back. My dog often comes over, sits beside me and gently licks my hand and its not always when he wants something either.

[horselady]

What amazes me with animals is that the love is unconditional. Even poor dogs that have an owner that beats them will often still follow him everywhere and lick his hand. I know my dog loves me and I love her and we don't care what anyone else thinks.

[jedimistress]

I think my dog loves me. I certainly love her. She misses me when I leave her with my sister for a few days. She watches for me coming home. And I do not spoil her.

Some people she likes and some she dislikes, and some she adores.