ASK ANYONE WHO has ever owned a dog whether they love them, and the answer will come back instantly.

Ask them whether the dog loves them back, and you’ll usually get the same answer, delivered with equal certainty.

For a long time, scientists were pretty sceptical about that second part. But over the past 20 years or so, research has caught up with what dog owners have always believed.

Your dog is basically wired to bond with you

Psychologists use something called attachment theory to describe the deep emotional bonds that form between children and their caregivers.

These bonds have four key features: wanting to be close to that person, turning to them when you’re scared, feeling safe enough to explore the world because they’re there, and getting upset when they’re gone. Dogs tick every single one of those boxes when it comes to their owners (Payne, 2016).

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

What makes that remarkable is that this isn’t something dogs just learned to do; it seems to be instinctual. Unlike wolves (their closest wild relatives), dogs are specifically oriented toward humans as a source of comfort and safety. They didn’t just adapt to living alongside us. They adapted to bonding with us.

A 2025 study involving 717 dog owners found that dogs scored remarkably highly for companionship and emotional support, often exceeding the ratings given to many human relationships (Turcsán, 2025).

This research suggested that the human-dog bond is unlike any other relationship people experience. It combines the nurturing, protective feelings typically associated with caring for a child with the companionship, trust and enjoyment normally found in a close friendship.

In many ways, dogs seem to occupy a unique role in people’s lives, acting as both family member and best friend. Further studies also found that children form stronger bonds with dogs than with any other kind of pet and that those bonds........

© TheJournal