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Here's today's feel-good story:
Dogs understand humans more than we probably even realize.
Researchers that are studying canine-human connections have found that dogs are able to "catch" emotions from humans. Like children, dogs often look to owners' faces for clues on how to react to the world around them.
Dogs also experience the release of oxytocin, a feel-good hormone typical of human bonding.
“I do think we pick up their emotions, too,” Marc Bekoff, an evolutionary biologist at Univ. of Colorado, said. “Sometimes it’s easier to pick up their fear and stress. However, happy dogs are also easy to read if they run up to you with their tails wagging and their ears are forward, not tucked back.”