According to The Star, dog owners understand the absolute delight of being greeted by their tail-wagging four-legged friend when they arrive home after a long trip. However, a recent study released in the journal Current Biology suggests that those delighted dogs may be doing more than simply jumping around. They may also be crying.
The widely used Schirmer test, which involves putting a specialized strip under the eyelids, was adopted by the researchers to gauge how much tears were present in the dogs' eyes.
The researchers discovered that when dogs were reunited with their owners after five to seven hours apart, they "substantially" boosted tear production in the next five minutes. They also found that the dogs tear more when they were with their owners than when being with others who they weren't familiar with.
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The researchers hypothesize that this emotional response, which results in tears, is related to the release of oxytocin, sometimes known as the "love hormone" because of its role in the formation of bonds.
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