Science says that dogs are people too

This is a topic that tends to be considered controversial by some people. But science has no doubt about this dog They are also “people”. This conclusion comes after a group of scientists decided to subject pre-trained dogs to an MRI scan. This is with the aim of understanding how the brain of what is known as man's best friend works. After two years of work, Gregory Burns has no problem saying that dogs are people just like humans. Something that was shared in the New York Times.

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The scientific work is considered innovative, as veterinary medicine has advised that this type of examination can only be performed on anesthetized dogs. This was supported by the animals' need to remain quiet inside a machine that did not have a lot of space and was quite noisy. However, this reality will not provide interesting results for the team led by Gregory Burns. He began training his dog, Kali, over a period of months. First, the animal was trained to adapt to a fake machine. And then the real one. It was then that they were able to perform the first imaging, and thus had access to maps of brain activity.

Innovative study

It should be noted that the dogs used in the study were treated like any human patient. In other words, taking an exam was never compulsory, and they could leave scientific work whenever they wished. MRI was performed on 12 dogs. On the one hand, it is not possible to reveal how dogs think. On the other hand, data collected about a specific area of ​​the brain gives some signals. The caudate nucleus, found in humans and dogs, is associated, as far as people are concerned, with pleasure caused by things we like. As is the case with food, music and beauty. According to researchers, it is quite similar in dogs. There was a reaction associated with food, the smell of familiar people, and the return of its owner after a period of absence.

Changing the way society treats animals

“The ability to feel positive emotions, such as love and emotional connection, would put dogs on the same level of emotions as a child,” Gregory Burns explains to the New York Times. He also reveals his opinion that the study will help society change the way it treats animals. “Dogs and perhaps many other animals seem to have feelings just like us,” he concludes. “This means we should reconsider treating pets as property,” he concludes.

Fotos: Shutterstock

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