Pet dogs trigger a "mother-infant" neurohormonal response

To anyone that has a pet, it's pretty simple to admit they consider their furry companion like a part of the family. You might even call your dog your "little baby", and talk baby talk to it from time to time. It's ok...it's science. Yes, science has now shown that dogs elicit an oxytocin release that is similar to that generated by infants in mothers. Oxytocin is a neuromodulatory hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus of the brain and stored in the pituitary gland. It is released in response to cues of intimacy, trust, and bonding, often as part of our physiological response for involvement in events related to reproduction and in bonding to offspring. Recent research by Nagasawa et al. in the recent issue of Science suggests the gaze of dogs co-evolved with a hormonal feedback loop involving oxytocin in humans as part of the development of the human-dog bond. So, just remember its ok if you think your little "woogums" has the cutest furry little face ever. Science says that's what how you are supposed to feel.

Miho Nagasawa, Shouhei Mitsui, Shiori En, Nobuyo Ohtani, Mitsuaki Ohta, Yasuo Sakuma, Tatsushi Onaka, Kazutaka Mogi, Takefumi Kikusui, Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds. Science, 17 April 2015; 348(6232):333-336 
DOI: 10.1126/science.1261022.