Abused dogs elicit more empathy than adult humans, study finds

TORONTO – Perhaps there’s a reason why dogs are often called a “man’s best friend.”

According to researchers from Northeastern University in Boston, people show more empathy for abused children and canines than they do for ill-treated adults.

The study found, however, that empathy toward abused children and puppies was statistically “non-significant.”

“Contrary to popular thinking, we are not necessarily more disturbed by animal rather than human suffering,” said lead researcher and sociology professor Jack Levin.

He said the results of the study indicate a much more complex situation with respect to the age and species of victims, with age being the more important component.

“It appears that adult humans are viewed as capable of protecting themselves while full grown dogs are just seen as larger puppies.”

Sociology professors surveyed 240 men and women—most of them were white—between the ages of 18 and 25 and randomly gave each of them one of four fictional news stories about abused victims.

The stories focused on a one-year-old child, an adult in his 30s, a puppy or a six-year-old dog.

Every story was identical—expect for the victim’s identity. After reading the individual story, respondents were asked to rate their feelings of empathy toward the victim.

While the study targeted dogs, Levin said he believes the results would be similar for cats as well.

“Dogs and cats are family pets,” he said in a statement. “These are animals to which many individuals attribute human characteristics.”

The findings were presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. The full study has yet to be released.