Even though we can’t speak to our dogs, the bond between a dog and their human can be incredibly strong – canines aren’t known as ‘man’s best friend’ for nothing.
But did you know that many people find their relationship with their dog to be more fulfilling than their relationship with their best friend? That’s according to a new study involving more than 700 people.
Even though it’s the humans with the caring responsibilities, whether it’s going out for walks no matter the weather or making sure there’s a steady supply of the best dog treats and toys at home, we seriously love our dogs.
Borbála Turcsán, the leading author of the study from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, published in the journal Scientific Reports, explained that the canine-human bond doesn’t replace our relationships with other humans, instead offering something different.
The team spoke to 717 dog parents, found via social media, during two time periods between 2011–13 and 2022–23. They asked them to rate their relationship with their pet, their child, their romantic partner, their closest relative, and their best friend on 13 metrics.
They were asked how often they spent fun time with each loved one, as well as how often they argued or felt annoyed by them, and how often they protected and looked out for them.
The results showed that people rated their dogs higher for companionship and needing nurture than their best friend, closest relative, and romantic partner, while they also had fewer negative interactions with their dogs than with most of their closest humans – here’s how to bond with your dog if you’re looking to follow their lead.
Dogs also came out on top when ranking affection, reliability, support, and relationship satisfaction – though on the latter dogs were about equal to children and romantic partners. Perhaps unsurprisingly, romantic partners ranked higher when it came to intimacy, while dogs were top when it came to the power dynamics in relationships.
The difference was most noteworthy, if not as large, between dogs and children. While parents can acknowledge that they’re raising their children to become independent adults with lives of their own, pet dogs remain in a sort of childhood throughout their lives.
“Dogs offer a highly positive relationship with minimal conflict, strong social support, and the unique opportunity to have full control over another living being’s life,” said Professor Enikő Kubinyi, senior author of the research.
“A dog can be a playmate for children, a good flatmate, best friend for young singles, a surrogate child for young couples, a sibling figure once children arrive, a grandchild for ‘empty-nester’ parents, and perhaps the most important source of social support for elderly people living alone.”
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