We asked the fairly simple question: Do dogs smile? Unlike any other animal, except maybe monkeys and other members of the primate family, dogs do seem to smile.
In the top photo, could Bella, the 2 1/2-year-old sweet boxer of Theresa Yanick, be doing anything else but smiling? "She is a big love bug, who gives out tons of sloppy kisses," Theresa says.
In the bottom photo, have you seen two happier dogs at the beach? That's Chloe, a 9-month-old chocolate Lab, and Dugan, a 10-month-old Greater Swiss mountain dog. Both are owned by Brandon McGovern of Wilmington.
We have a writer working on the story for a fall issue of Delaware Pets, and in anticipation I asked readers to send in photos of their smiling dogs. I thought maybe I'd get a handful to help illustrate the story. I have almost 100 -- and counting. I'll turn all of those photos into three or four photo galleries, and you can look at the images and decide for yourself.
In the meantime and while our writer researches, I'd love to hear your opinions about whether dogs smile. Post your comments here, or e-mail me at pets@delawareonline.com. (Send photos to that e-mail address if you have more visual proof.)
I asked Jane Pierantozzi, executive director of Faithful Friends, and she says, "I think they're showing an emotion." She says there's something special about a dog's smile. "That's what's great about it. They make us smile."
8 comments:
My boy Bailey always smiles at me when I talk to him and give his hugs and love!! I call him Smiley Boy cause he is just so darn handsome!!
I have no doubt that our black lab "Sugar" smiles ... especially when she's done something that she shouldn't! If you say "Sugar, were you on daddy's chair?" she smiles really big ... it's too funny!
I have 2 dogs that smile. (Nemo and Shelby) They make the whole family laugh.
When we take our little Dachshund Emma for a walk, we don't come home until she is smiling :)
I think that dogs give a strong appearance of a smile when the are panting. If you watch when they stop panting, their whole expression changes and they take on a much more serious look.... my 2¢
My dog Shadow smiles everyday when we come home from work. She scrunches up her snout and exposes all of her teeth in a big ear to ear grin as she jumps up and down when we come in the door. She gives a high pitched bark and just gives that grin and we know for a fact she is smiling as big as she can!
Our dachshund Sandy definitely smiles. She shows her teeth but it is a smile and not snarl because she does it when we first see her when we come into the house and she is glad to see us. Her father was a smiler also.
My Greyhound, India, smiles when she's very excited about something. She nods her head up and down and shows me all her teeth - It's one of the funniest things ever! My Rottie, Tabby, has huge smile lines on the sides of her mouth - she smiles the most when you're scratching behind her ears!
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