In the first study of its kind, scientists have found that dogs cry tears of joy when they see their owners, and that makes us cry too.
A study published in the Current Biology journal found that dogs shed happy tears, and that the same love hormone that makes humans feel emotional bonds with each other may be underlying that mechanism.
When his poodle gave birth to puppies about six years ago, researcher and paper co- writer Takefumisui began to wonder about the effects of the stress hormone on dogs. He noticed that his dog had tears in her eyes as she nursed the puppies, and has been interested in the topic ever since.
The first part of the study saw the Azabu scientists measure the pups' tear volume before and after they were returned to their owners and before and after they met a random human. The dogs' tear volume increased when they saw their people, but they didn't see the same effect when they weren't there.
The researchers found that the tear volume was higher when the solution was added to the dogs' eyes after they were brought back to their owners. It was suggested to the scientists that the release of tears may be associated with the release of a substance called oxytocin.
We were excited that this would be a world first because we had never heard of animals crying in joyful situations.
It's not known if dogs shed tears when they're sad, but once they do, those findings will probably unleash the waterworks in us.
There is an increase in tear volume in dogs after they are back with their owner.
Ambitious researchers would like to use artificial intelligence to talk to all animals.
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