Can dogs fall in love with a human?

dogs are capable of emotions, so why not love… what would you call it then? they may not understand the word perhaps??????? back it up..

Dogs can feel affection, but not “love” … love is a purely human emotion. It’s the same emotion that ties us to our children - dogs don’t have that attachment to their pups. Dogs can feel an attachment to their owners, and they can feel lonely, sad, bored, etc, but not “love”. There has never been a dog who “fell in love”.

Nope

When my drunk older brother staggered onto a road when a car was coming our dog jumped in front of my brother to protect him and was hit by the car. If being willing to die to protect another isn’t love I don’t know what is. Our dog though injured healed up fine. Dog’s can’t verbalize or understand love but I’m convinced they can feel it.

Animals have a natural instinct to protect … they don’t do it for “love” … they do it because it’s natural for them.

well my dog looks at men like she “in love” with them then starts humping their leg is this normal?

I’d like to think so.

hahaha no i dont think so.but the are sensitive. the know the in person and a stranger.

Dogs also hump pillows and blankets… but that doesn’t mean they are “in love” with the pillow or blanket. Humping is very natural for dogs.

I agree with Colleen on this. I wouldn’t call that love. I would definitely say that is simply natural instinct to protect.

No, dogs don’t love, that’s a human emotion.

well you never know :) theres so many things people dont know and then we asume… i mean u may be right but maybe theres smth we dont know about dogs… aybe they can fall in love we just dont see or understand it or jst havnt found out. Its a human habit to assume things and use logical thinking but we cant eliminate it completley… only the dogs now the answer to tht ^^ guess well never find out :P

I love it how everyone says love is a human emotion ONLY xD… what do we know? maybe they do “love”. its so subjective… Theres thousands of things out there we dont know or understand. Like i said, we assume they dont but that does not mean they dont :)

So you wouldn’t call the love a mother feels for their own child (most mothers) a natural instinct?

Love is just a bunch of chemicals floating around that create attachment. It’s not some mysterious connection only humans can have. Dogs have similar pleasure centers in the brain. It’s not so far fetched to believe that they love. The subject is however still being debated in scientific communities.

I believe it could happen.

my uncle told me his dog died when he left to the army because of a broken heart…

I believe it is possible, animals feel the same emotions as us. just cause they cant tell you doesn’t mean they don’t feel it its why do you think some animals can be so over protective towards their owner and not let other people interact with them.