Are you a dog person or a cat person? If you’re a dog person, have you ever thought that your dog understood how you were feeling? That may not be far from the truth; a new study may indicate that canines feel a lot more about what’s going on with their master’s than we originally thought.
According to seattletimes.com,
‘Researchers put dogs (awake and unrestrained) in MRI scanners to see the activity in different regions of their brains while the pooches looked at images of human facial expressions. They found one thing they already knew: Dogs can tell the difference between joy and a blank stare, and between happy and angry faces.’
The results of the study are interesting, but not necessarily definitive. For one thing, the studies had to use a specific breed of dog because they were more inclined to tolerate sitting still long enough for an MRI. I mean, think about it. If you’re a dog owner how long do you think your dog would sit still for an MRI?
The researchers mostly worked with border collies, which by their nature are smarter and more easily able to follow what the researchers call social cues and are “more willing to interact with humans.”
What did they discover?
One of the things their research showed them was that dogs can actually distinguish between anger and fear, and also between fear and sadness.
Anyone who has ever been around a dog knows that they can tell when you’re happy and excited. They can also tell when you’re unhappy and distressed.
But these new findings show that dogs have a more nuanced understanding of our facial expressions than we originally thought.
This is interesting, however.
One item, the researchers stress, is that this research does not Indicate that dogs experience or understand these emotions the way we do, as much as dog owners who love their pets, want to ascribe human emotion to them.
Dogs can be wonderful companions. But I’m sorry, they don’t really understand what you’re saying the way we do.
7 Dogs, 1 Chance: The Longest-Waiting Pups at the Yakima Humane Society (2/26)
These 7 dogs have been in Yakima Humane Society’s kennels the longest, and are just waiting to get out and be with their new family to love. Could that be you? Check out each of these pups, and find even more of them at YakimaHumane.org (As of February 2026).
Gallery Credit: tsm/Timmy!