What Your Pet Is Really Thinking

Various studies have shown that dogs are in fact empathetic creatures and that they were five emotions that they can feel, namely anger, sadness, fear, joy and love.  Now Healthy Paws Pet Insurance has released an infographic that states that 71.2% of pet parents believe they can tell what their pet is thinking.

Their research detailed the following:

Anger – Studies found that dogs have the same capacity for emotions as a 2-year-old human, including anger
Sadness and Grief – 66% of dogs exhibited four or more behavioral changes after losing a pet companion
Fear – Fear reactions are seen in most dogs during thunderstorms, including stress responses like pacing, salivating, panting, trembling, whining, hiding and increased salivary cortisol levels
Joy – Measuring brain activity with MRI machines found that the aroma of a dog’s owner sparked activation in the “reward center” of their brains
Love – Just like humans, dogs have the hormone oxytocin, which is involved with feeling love and affection for others.

Inspired by the blockbuster movie The Secret Life of Pets, they have spelt it all out in this fun infographic.