Have you ever had the feeling that people care more for animals than other human beings? Well, your feelings were correct. A couple of studies have demonstrated that humans love dogs more than people.
To test this point researchers in England printed two advertisements, with both posing the same question, “Would you give six dollars to save Harrison from a slow, painful death? One flyer’s picture of “Harrison” was a little boy. The other showed Harrison as a dog. Harrison, the dog, received the most donations.
Another study was done in this country by Northeastern University professors. This study described an attack with a baseball bat by an unknown person, with the police finding the victim unconscious, with one broken leg and multiple bruises and cuts. The victim was variably described as a one-year-old infant, a 30-year-old adult, a puppy, or a six-year-old adult dog. There were four sets of participants randomly receiving one of these four scenarios. Researchers asked the participants to describe their emotions in each instance. Those reading the adult story were less distressed than those reading the other stories, including the adult dog or the puppy.
So, there you have it. Humans do love dogs more than other people.