Viral Thread Shows How Our Pets Take Care Of Us When We Need Them Most
Our pets are always there for us in times of crisis, that’s for sure
As humans, we tend to give ourselves a lot of credit when it comes to how much we love and care for our animals. And we do love and care for our pets! But a lot of the time, they take care of us right back. This viral thread on Twitter proves it — pet owners everywhere are sharing their sweet stories, and you’ll love reading every last one.
Adweek editor Sammy Nickalls asked her followers to share stories about their pets showing love and understanding on a deep level. Nickalls is also the creator of the hashtag #TalkingAboutIt, which has helped spur an ongoing dialogue about mental health on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1100908544138842113
Pet owners and lovers everywhere soon began chiming in with their own stories. And so many of us can relate to how our four-legged friends have been there for us when it feels like no one else is.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1100930286882381824
OMG, these stories. Someone sedate me.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1100935717469986817
It’s true that animals are incredibly intuitive — though that really shouldn’t surprise anyone, especially those of us who have owned pets. In a recent experiment published by Biology Letters, dogs showed signs of understanding whether a human or a dog was happy or mad based on facial expressions and vocalizations.
In the first trials, each dog was placed in front of two screens and presented with an image of a dog or human with either a happy or angry facial expression. The images were then paired with a variety of sounds—a playful or aggressive bark for dogs, and a phrase in a happy or angry tone for people. When exposed to complimentary images and sounds in both humans and dogs—i.e. a happy dog facial expression and playful bark—the dogs looked at the screens longer than if the facial expression did not match the sound.
Cats also know exactly how we’re feeling, according to research conducted by Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. They studied 12 cats and their owners and found that the animals behaved differently when their owner was smiling compared to when they were frowning. When faced with a smiling owner, the cats were significantly more likely to perform “positive” behaviors such as purring, rubbing or sitting on their owner’s lap. They also seemed to want to spend more time close to their owner when they were smiling than when the owner was frowning.
It’s all very interesting when you sit and think about how much our animals are aware of — and heartwarming. When I’m upset, my good ol’ dope of a dog, Duke, presses his head on my shoulder (he’s extremely large and tall enough to reach easily if I’m sitting down). My last dog would curl up behind my legs and refuse to leave until she was convinced I was alright, or until I had stopped crying. I can honestly say my animals have calmed me and made me feel secure during bouts of anxiety and depression throughout most of my life, and I’m so thankful for them.
Thanks to evolution, cats and dogs definitely have the skills to read their owners’ needs and emotions — but then, of course, we knew that already.
