On the most basic level, dogs are a kind of hybrid. That means our ancestors and their genes have influenced their features. While it’s possible that dogs also share some common ancestors with wolves—to which we’re both closely related—in the wild, they tend to hang out with other mammals like cats, deer, and coyotes. In all these ways, they seem more different from us than any two non-human animals living side by side. But despite the apparent differences, there’s one important way in which humans and dogs are much alike: Every person has a family he or she considers important. This means that being a dog isn’t just about sharing genetic ancestry with you; as a dog, you feel an intimate connection to your family and friends, too.
Why Are Dogs so Special?
It’s easy to spot examples of how similar pets can be to members of their families. When Hurricane Katrina forced many New Orleanians into temporary shelters, they brought their companion animals along. “One evening when I was sitting on my parent’s front porch,” says Hilary Jacobs, author of Why Animals Matter More Than You Think, “this nice woman walked up and told me how she was taking care of her cat at a local shelter because of the hurricane.” From there, the conversations naturally moved onto personal relationships.
An article titled “Your Dog Is Smarter Than Your Girlfriend” points out a similar dynamic between pets and romantic partners. Psychologists note that people treat family members better than partners and strangers equally, so we often get extra consideration.
The article states that pet owners report being happier around their companions, but research shows otherwise. In spite of this, dogs appear to be able to understand and communicate moods better than family members.