There’s nothing cuter than a canine family reunion.
Harper, a 5-month-old puppy, hadn’t seen her mom since she was adopted at 11 weeks old, according to Rumble Viral user JarretR, who posted this video last week. Although they’ve spent months apart, the two dogs were acting like old pals within seconds of seeing each other again.
While a dog’s memory works differently from a human’s, animal behaviorist Steven Lindsay has previously told The Nest he believes mother dogs have the ability to remember their puppies long term. He said when a female dog gives birth, the physiological reaction sets off her “protective instinct,” which becomes stronger the longer she is with the puppies. The longer the puppies are with her after their birth, the better the chances are that she’ll be able to recognize her pups in the future.
In general, dogs are more likely to recognize another dog -- or human -- when they have a strong emotional attachment to them, Stanley Coren, a University of British Columbia psychology professor and author of The Wisdom of Dogs, told Pacific Standard last year.
“The emotional life of a dog -- the entire mental life of the dog -- is very close to a human two- or three-year-old,” he said. “A two- or three-year-old will have love and joy and fear and anger and surprise, but they tend not to have the higher social emotions like guilt ... pride, shame, that sort of thing.”
Coren did note it’s more difficult for an adult dog to remember relationships from before the age of 6 months.
H/T The Dodo
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