Dogs' brains, in many ways, look and function just like human brains. We
share many of the same basic structures (called a "homology"),
including a brain region that is associated with positive emotions. We
are also beginning to understand how the dog's powerful sense of smell works to identify the members of his household.
We can no longer hide from the scientific evidence. All in all, dogs and
humans show striking similarities in the activity of an important brain
region called the caudate nucleus. So, do dogs love us
and miss us when we're gone? The data strongly suggest they do. And,
those data can further move humanity away from simplistic, reductionist,
behaviorist explanations of animal behavior
and animal emotions and also be used to protect dogs and other animals
from being abused. Right now, animals are legally considered to be
property, just like a backpack or bicycle.
