People find relationship with their dog more satisfying than with best friend, study shows -- The Guardian

[erronis]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/22/owners-closeness-to-dogs-study

Research into 717 people exposes the many roles canines play in their lives, from ‘fur babies’ to steadfast companion

Dogs are not simply “fur babies” or best friend but a blend of both, researchers have found in a study they say highlights the special status of pets.

The study suggests owners rate their relationship with their dogs as being as satisfying or more satisfying than their closest human relationships. However, the researchers did not find the owner-dog bond was stronger in people with weaker human relationships.

“Our results showed that it [the bond] does not replace human relationships but offers something different, a unique combination of characteristics to complement what we receive from the human side of our social network,” said Borbála Turcsán, first author of the study from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary.

. . .

The team found owners rated their dogs higher for companionship and needing nurture than their closest relative, best friend, and romantic partner, while they experienced fewer negative interactions with their dog than with their child, romantic partner or closest relative.

Owners also rated their dogs higher than their best friends and closest relatives for areas including affection, reliability and support. However, when it came to intimacy, romantic partners trumped canines.

. . .

[SheltieLover]

1. Well, duh...

[erronis]

2. I knew that would get a rise out of you, SL!

[Walleye]

3. I love the commercials where the person has dog food in the refrigerator kicks out the friend who criticizes them for it

[twodogsbarking]

4. The one with the guy ending up in a car trunk is great.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. "If Anyone Asks, We Were At Gramma's"

I get a kick out of that spot. After all, I'm Sicilian.

[twodogsbarking]

10. My wife's four grandparents were from Italy. Came here early 20th century.

I got to know two of them. Great people.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. One Side Came Here In The 1890s

My dad's side came here in the early to mid 1920s.
My grandfather worked for the railroad. Took the ferry, git on a train, was gone for a week, home for the weekends. He was a brakeman.
As Mussolini started purging Siciliani from government jobs, my grandfather thought they might extend it down to lower levels like his.
My grandmother's brother was already in the US, working as a barber. My grandpa had a marketable skill & they had a sponsor, now a naturalized citizen. So, to America they came. Mt aunt was born about 3 years later & my dad 3 years after that.
That's why I posso parlare degli italiano. I was surrounded by it when I was a little kid.
I've been to Italy 40-something times for work, but never south of Naples where my family is from. My dad visited when he was stationed after WW2 (occupying troops) working in the medical corps as a medical & translator.
But, never for me.

[twodogsbarking]

5. Build on the connection. It makes your life and theirs much better.

[Midnight Writer]

6. I have to admit, I was more torn up when my dog died than when some of my closest friends and family died.

[Phoenix61]

8. I'm a mental health counselor and I've had several clients

who sought care because they were having a really hard time dealing with the death of their dog.

[3catwoman3]

9. I'm a cat person. Always have been. I like dogs, but I know I am too lazy to be a dog mom.

I have moments when I wish that weren’t the case, but it is. You don’t have to walk cats when it’s too hot, too cold, or too wet.

There are many days when I like animals much better than most people.

[Polly Hennessey]

12. True, true, and true. My dogs are perfection and my best friends.

To my Scout and Alexander, who have a hold on my heart ❤️ that humans cannot reach.