Although I enjoy my reputation as a crazy cat lady, a little known fact is that I grew up with dogs and love them just as much 🙂

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Do you have a pet dog? If so, you probably consider Fido a member of the family, and a new study even shows the bond between man and dog may be reflected in their release of stress hormones. University of Nebraska researchers followed 58 people and 58 dogs participating in dog agility competitions, which are stressful events that require dogs to complete an obstacle course as quickly as possible without errors, guided by their handlers. Among the handlers, 44 were women and 14 were men. Scientists collected saliva samples from handlers and the dogs before and after the trials and analyzed them for the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol levels in men and their dogs were found to be significantly higher post-competition compared with before the events, while female handlers and their pups showed little to no change in their cortisol levels. Researchers explain this could be because women interact differently with dogs, which could affect her own mental state as well as the dogs’. Notably, it’s thought the dogs may have picked up odor or behavioral cues from their handlers and then reflected this in their physiological states. (Fox) (Image: Flickr.com)