Dogs Can Recognize Grieving People

One of the most painful situations in life is the grief one feels after the loss of a loved one, as this represents an adversity that is difficult to overcome. Although it seems impossible to believe, it is at these times that dogs are more unconditional in their love than ever, due to their surprising way of perceiving this delicate emotional state.

It is like this, man’s best friend can feel when we suffer an emotion or feeling that causes us pain, which helps them to understand us and help us more than many people.

This is a fact that surprises many, as there are people who find it unlikely that a dog can easily detect such complex details as these. To get a little more detailed, we will answer some of the most common questions about this topic below.

How can a dog perceive grief?

For many years, there were voices that ensured that some animals could merge with humans in such a way that they came to perceive their emotions and moods. However, these opinions were constantly discredited, as they lacked a scientific study that would give them maximum credibility.

Recently, these theories were validated as true, after some investigations and studies carried out by the Department of Psychology at the University of Goldsmiths, determined that effectively, as many already knew, dogs can indeed know how we feel.

Experiments to prove the attitude of dogs

The experiment consisted of studying the attitudes of dogs towards photographs of known and unknown people. Those in which you saw an angry or downcast face, the dog seemed to show much less enthusiasm, compared to those where the person appeared smiling, which determines that they see serious attitudes as negative.

On the other hand, a procedure was carried out with 18 dogs of different breeds and ages, in which they had to see their owners interact with other people. When they simulated crying, the dogs showed more attention than when they talked, it got to the point of seeing our four-legged friends approaching the person who was crying.

Given this, scientists at the university came to the conclusion that dogs know how to differentiate a babble from a cry, which determines their ability to be able to distinguish the different moods of people.

Likewise, they determined that dogs sympathize and try to console their owners when they go through some adversity that causes them sadness, depression or grief, so the difference that exists in their reactions to a word or a sigh, should not be to a simple chance.

How does a dog act when its owner is going through a moment of mourning?

Dogs are very sensitive beings who know how to manifest each of their moods. If you feel bad, they will also feel that way for noticing the hard time you are living.

In these types of situations, they intensify the gestures of affection that they usually have, in order to feel better and in company. The most common example is the way they stay by your side constantly, even if you don’t pay attention to them and don’t even want to caress them.

Another recurring example is his way of being aware of your every move and following you anywhere. Even so, it is normal that they look for physical contact, since for them, this is the way to tell you that they love, that they understand and that they will help you to overcome this difficult stage.

Remember if!

When you are in mourning, it is understandable that nothing gets you excited and that for a while you feel sad. Although you believe that no one will be able to understand the pain you are going through, your dog will be able to see it in you and he will help you to recover.

These beautiful four-legged friends of ours will always be there when we need them most.