How many times do we as pet owners look at our beloved animal and think - cute, he/she is smiling at me?
Your dog almost senses when you’re upset or happy and we, as humans, believe that we see the emotion within our pet too. Almost saying, “yay, I’m happy” or “its okay, Mum”.
As a dog owner myself and working with dogs daily, I truly believe that sometimes I get a smile or an expression reflecting them being happy or even sad. (Which really isn’t an emotion I want to see from any animal.) I guess sometimes they may feel sad when their owner drops them off, but they soon recover and the smile is back.
So, when our pets smile at us is this real? In fact the ‘attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities’ is called anthropomorphism (definition taken from Wikipedia, April 2021). ‘It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology’ (Wikipedia, April 2021).
For me, I’m going to keep believing that they are smiling. It’s a nice thought to think they communicate through a happy face. I mean look at her face - how could she be smiling and enjoying the sun?
All views and opinions are my own. If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s dog you should seek advice from professional services (useful contacts can be found here).
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