Why do people think dogs can love them ?

Me Basset Hound puppy is incapable of love. :(

Anyone who has ever owned a pet knows they have the capacity for the kind of unconditional love that is seen otherwise only between a human and its offspring.

The gentle nudge of a wet nose or a lick on the hand comes unbidden when we’re upset or feeling down. The bounding dash to the door to greet us is also a demonstrable sign of the strength of the human–canine bond, in particular.

A subtle change in our demeanor can be picked up and registered by our dogs or cats. Cats, although fiercely independent by nature, do possess a similar capacity for love and nurture, as my cat-owning friends can testify.

Studies have also shown that looking a dog in the eyes can boost levels of oxytocin (a hormone involved in social bonding), in both the person and the dog. It’s not just “cupboard love” triggered by a hungry belly. There is in fact nothing artificial that could ever replace that sheer authenticity of feeling. Dogs are the only species that, like a human child, runs to its human when it is frightened, anxious, or just pleased to see us.

It is also the only animal, aside from other humans, that actively seeks out eye contact with people, and truly wants to be with us. Cats come to us when we are down and will show they are pleased to see us with a lick on the hand or a gentle purr to express their own feelings of contentment.

Pets give people so much in terms of love and emotional support. Simply stroking a dog, cat, rabbit, or even horse can lead to lower blood pressure and can combat stress. The feelings are reciprocated, as our touch can have therapeutic effects for our pets, particularly if they are feeling out of sorts.

Companion animals can provide support and friendship to society’s lonely, sick or elderly. They can be friends with those who do not easily understand the world around them. Autistic children for instance can be guided gently from their closed, confusing, and isolated worlds by a patient and loving dog or cat. Anxiety disorders and depression also can be eased by the loving presence of a pet.

The wider bond between people and dogs has strengthened over time, around 30,000 years to be precise. Canines have the unique ability to pick up on how we are feeling according to various studies, and similar research is being carried out with cats. For example, animal cognition scientists at Emory University in the US-trained dogs to lie still in an MRI machine and used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to track their neural responses to the smell of people and dogs, both familiar and unknown. Because dogs navigate the world through their noses, the way they process smell offers a lot of potential insight into how they interact with the world around them.

The scientists found that dog owners’ aroma actually sparked activation in the “reward center” of their brains, called the caudate nucleus. This effectively found that canines have the ability to distinguish between us and the huge amount of other olfactory stimuli around them.

Why do you think dogs CAN'T love people?  Same question, just turned around.

Because dogs act as if they love them.

Bless your little heart.  Do not stress or concern yourself.

Why else would they crawl up in ones lap to delude or go through depression when a family member. Leaves for an extended time period.  I have no idea if it is love or comfort. But it is some sort of emotionally response/impact.

Because of cognitive dissonance and mental illness. 

TV, Cartoons, movies youtube videos keep telling them "dogs love". When something is repeated over and over and provides stimulation people will believe it and act on it.

Since birth little children watch cartoons with dogs being all happy, nice and smart. Then teenage shows its the same then the media promotes dogism and ignore the problem with dogs. 

That's why we have a dog culture that is getting worse and worse everyday.

I'm telling you. dogs will have their own credit cards, onlyfans and drivers licenses

Because they are ignorant and believe in the oxytocin myth.

https://youtu.be/r9_QZkDcvT0