Empath: a person or being with an exceptional ability to deeply understand, sense and resonate with the emotions, feelings, and energy of others, often highly sensitive to the moods and emotional states of people around them, sometimes to the point of physically or emotionally experiencing the emotions of others as if they were their own. It's a buzzy word that may have gotten a tad overexposed the past few year, with everyone from Love Is Blind contestants to your (very not empathic) PTO president claiming to be so-called empaths. But you know who's been quiet on the matter? Our pets. Specifically, our deeply feeling dogs. In fact, I swear my dog, Oakley, is an empath. She seems to always know what's up with me despite the fact that we speak very different languages. Curious, I spoke with Dr. Gary Richter M.S., D.V.M, founder of Ultimate Pet Nutrition, as to whether my feeling (am I an empath?!) on the matter held any water.
How to Tell If Your Pet Is an Empath, According to a Veterinarian
But is it just instinct?
Meet the Expert
Dr. Gary Richter, MS, DVM, is the founder of Ultimate Pet Nutrition and author of several best-selling books including Longevity for Dogs, Longevity for Cats, and The Ultimate Pet Health Guide. Dr. Richter was also named America’s Favorite Veterinarian by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.
Can Dogs Be Empaths?
Long story short, yes. Says Dr. Richter: "There is no question that dogs are sensitive to human emotions. Anyone with a pet has seen this. They unquestionably react to our happiness, sadness, etc." In fact, they can sense human emotional cues through our body language, our tone of voice, even our scent! "As non-verbal creatures, dogs are very sensitive to cues from other animals and people."
But Is It Animal Instinct or Genuine Empathy?
OK, so maybe my dog can sense and feel my emotions along with me, but if that's just instinct over genuine empathy, is it really the same thing? "What's the difference?" asks Dr. Richter. "As people, we show empathy to others when they are in emotional or physical distress. This is not a learned behavior; it is a thing that we naturally (instinctively) do as social animals ourselves. That doesn't make the emotion any less genuine. There are studies that show dogs have physiologic and behavioral mechanisms to express affection and form strong bonds with humans. It seems logical that empathic ability would be included in these mechanisms."
Are There Specific Traits That Make Some Breeds More "Empathetic" Than Others?
"There are certainly individuals who appear to be more empathetic than others, which is no different than humans," shares Dr. Richter. He goes on to explain that dog breeds that are bred to interact closely with humans, which tend to be genetically more sociable, would likely display more empathy towards others as well. "For example, your average golden retriever is a very socially interactive dog and is likely to be very in tune to its owner's emotional state."
What Behaviors Might Indicate That Your Dog Is Responding to Their Owner's Emotional State?
Dogs may want to be close to the owner and provide support through physical contact, says the veterinarian. "They may be more affectionate during these times as well. If you extrapolate how a non-verbal empathetic human would respond in these situations, it's about the same." Considering Oakley (my dog) isn't really a lap dog, when she does come cuddle next to me, it's probably more meaningful than I thought. Even it is just "instinctual."
