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WEEKLYPRESS.COM ·
UCREVIEW.COM · NOVEMBER 02 · 2011 Can pets feel love? Owner: Isabel Mosetter K BELLA L S
cientific evidence would have you believe that only human beings are
capable of complex feelings that include love and hate. However, talk to any dog or cat owner and chances are they’ll say that they love their pets and receive equal love in return. Distinctive areas of the brain light up on MRIs when hu- mans are shown someone they love. Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine saw the caudate area of the brain --which is in- volved in cravings -- become very active when study par-
ticipants were shown an im- age of their significant other. Another area that lit up was the ventral tegmental, which produces dopamine, a pow- erful neurotransmitter that affects pleasure and motiva- tion. Whether the same oc- curs in pets is debatable. Although dogs and cats rely on their human owners to provide much of their neces- sities, from food to water to a safe place to live, their moti- vation toward affection does not seem linked to security alone. Cats have been known to travel hundreds of miles to find a prior owner who
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moved. Or if the cat has run off, he can generally find his way back. Dogs, similarly, have been shown to mourn the loss of a loved one after he or she has died, sitting outside of the room whim- pering. Both dogs and cats have been documented as taking the proverbial bullet for their owners, attempting to save them when owners are injured or attacked. Cats have even been known to lick away tears. However, experts still debate whether or not pets can feel love. Researchers at Penn State have offered that dogs
and cats probably don’t feel love in the same way that hu- mans do. However, they’ve learned that by putting out cues that seem like love and affection to people, they stand to gain more -- treats, food, pats on the back. Dogs and cats may “love”us based on the reward of their behav- iors. If people no longer sup- plied rewards, the love would wane. One could say that it’s ironic that Pavlov was able to train his dog to salivate as a conditioned reflex to a bell. For it seems people have been conditioned to reward dogs and cats for the sup- posed “love” they are show- ing their owners. Still, others have said there may be some basis to the con- cept that pets feel deep emo- tions. Jane Goodall’s research into primates gives evidence that animals actually do have emotions. “From a behavior- al perspective, it only makes sense that animals would experience emotions,” she has noted. Goodall’s research suggests that social animals must be able to read other animals in their society and must be able to maintain so- cial bonds, much in the way pets form a social bond with their humans. The jury may continue to be out regarding whether puppy dog eyes or purring symbol- izes love or our pet compan- ions are just looking to secure their place in a comfortable environment. However, there is no harm done when pet owners lavish affection on their pets, especially if that companionship brings every- one involved joy.
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