According to Emily Sanford, the lead author of a new research study, the typical family dog has an uncanny ability to empathize with its owner.
“We found dogs not only sense what their owners are feeling, [but] if a dog knows a way to help them,” she said, “they’ll go through barriers to help them. Every dog owner has a story about coming home from a long day, sitting down for a cry and the dog’s right there, licking their face.