Abstract: Participants (N = 717) characterized their relationships with their dog and four human partners: closest kin, romantic partner, best friend, and child, using the Network of Relationships Inventory. The results showed that owners reported greater satisfaction with their dogs than with any human partner except their child. They received more Support from dogs than from any human partner except their child and experienced fewer Negative Interactions with their dogs compared to any human partner, except their best friend. Overall, the relationship with the dog provided high Companionship, opportunities for Nurturance, and minimal Negative Interactions. This may stem from the fact that the dog-human relationship features a more asymmetric power dynamic than human relationships – i.e., owners have full control over the dog’s life

Turcsán, B., Ujfalussy, D.J., Kerepesi, A. et al. Similarities and differences between dog–human and human–human relationships. Sci Rep 15, 11871 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95515-8

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[–] 18 points 1 year ago

The strength of that relationship can vary, though, like this evening when our dog found poop in the yard and started rolling in it. Bathing the dog isn’t how we had planned to spend our Friday night!

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  • [–] 29 points 1 year ago (16 children)
  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago (14 children)

    Love 'em (got 2), but they're just not quite as attached to their humans as dogs tend to be.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    You can have some of ours. They won't leave us alone!

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  • [–] -4 points 1 year ago* (12 children)

    That's the thing, tho - I could take them, and after a getting to know each other period they'd likely be fine with me. There's no real loyalty as long as they get what they want. Dogs might adapt, but if they see their original human love even after a year or more, they're dumping your ass for that person.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I moved overseas and sent my cat to stay with a friend while I was getting settled. After about six weeks, I finally had a stable apartment and everything, so I went to pick her up. She was asleep when I got there, but woke up as soon as she smelled me, climbed up to my shoulders (not a thing she typically does), and frantically kneaded and meowed at me until I detached her so we could leave after hanging out with the friend for an hour or so. It was heartbreaking and I haven’t left her since

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Sweet baby, you won't post a picture. You won't do it

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Haha, that’s actually all I ever want to do!

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Cats can do the same thing though. I have seen it first hand.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    You're one up on me. Many years ago, I was in a situation for a while where I had to home my cat at the time with my aunt who was a bit of a "crazy cat lady." When I came to visit a few months later, he didn't really react to my presence at all.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    That's because cats don't automatically like you. They have autonomy. You have to earn it. And that's what really separates cats from dogs.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    Well, that's quite an insulting assumption of how our relationship stood. Even if he wasn't into me as you not so subtly imply, he was most definitely into my spouse & the reaction was the same.

    Maybe - just maybe - it's possible some are different than others?

    Nah.

    My thinking is that he was getting the socialization with other cats at my aunt's that he didn't have as a solo cat in our home.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    It wasn't intended to be insulting, they just don't readily get along with people right off the bat, there's a whole song and dance, there's also a shit load of environmental factors to consider.

    It could be that, too.

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  • [–] 40 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Man people have some really shitty relationships.

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago* (5 children)

    I get it though, unconditional love is something else. They will always love you while never asking questions and when they do something wrong (like rolling in shit), you can say they don't understand (they totally do)

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

    They will always love you while never asking questions

    Because they are incapable of, I get the sentiment that dogs relationship for some people mean, but you can't project the part of sentiment they are incapable of, on them, and be happy about it.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    No, dogs can definitely hate you. If they know you're a shit person, that opinion is formed and they won't like you. You got to be really careful with dogs, something as little as a friendly prank or tease can really hurt their feelings and they'll go out of their way to not be around you.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    Absolutely. This isn't anthropomophisation either. Some dogs can be vindictive, jealous, mercenary etc. Sometimes they just don't like someone. Could be smell, could be anything.
    My old dog hated dreadlocks. Can dogs be racist? Probably.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I dearly love my kid, but I don't think I would rely on them for support. Certainly they would be willing to at least try to provide it, but they're a kid. Any significant support being provided should go in the opposite direction.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 year ago

    Point is parents don't judge their children ( not as much) and dogs don't judge us. We love children unconditionally (to some extent) and dogs love us unconditionally.

    Our children, they love us unconditionally only until they to grow to certain age.

    That's will most people prefer dogs generally. They are exceptions. But generally it holds true.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    This shit wreaks of AI slop.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Skimming through the actual article I’m assuming it’s an AI generated summary of one section, although I’m not quickly finding even what it’s pulling from

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    It's clearly CoPilot, asking ChatGPT, to pull information from Grok's ass.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)
  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Sorry. I should have included citation. What AI? It is an actual study posted on Nature. I read the study on the primary source. It is the abstract. PsyPost reposts and summarises it. I should have posted the citation. Sorry Here is the citation.

    Turcsán, B., Ujfalussy, D.J., Kerepesi, A. et al. Similarities and differences between dog–human and human–human relationships. Sci Rep 15, 11871 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95515-8

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Someone should tell our dogs.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    That punctuation. "Including romantic partners, except children." WTF?

    I am much closer to my husband and kids than to the dogs and cats but feel more responsibility towards the pets, the kids I am growing into adults who take care of themselves, the dogs and cats we care for until they die.

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