Does My Dog Actually Love Me, or Is He Just Trying to Get Food?

Of course ol’ Baxter loves you! No, but seriously, he does.

Scientists at the Claremont Graduate University in California found that domesticated animals release oxytocin in intimate situations, the same chemical humans emit to create bonds with each other. While Fido definitely loves him a snack (don’t we all), his display of affection to get it isn’t Pavlovian. Think about when you come home empty handed after a long day away, isn’t Winston always ecstatic to see you? We rest our case. Cats? They’re another matter.

Jesse Schoff