Have you had it up to here with that furry, grunting thing that takes up half your bed and farts in its sleep? Why not consider trading it in for a new, quieter model? This genius alternative is easy-going, hilarious and snores way less.
It’s official, dogs release the same hormone that humans do when they’re head over heels for their two-legged, Homo sapien friends. A study featured on the BBC2 documentary, ‘Cat’s v. Dogs’, revealed the levels of the ‘love hormone’ that both dogs and cats release following playtime with their owners.
The ‘love hormone’, or oxytocin as it’s scientifically known, is essentially the chemical measurement of lurrveee. Released during sex, emotional bonding, breast-feeding and labour, Oxytocin is often referred to as the ‘cuddle hormone’ and has been proven to ‘facilitate bonding’ between couples as well as parents and children. And as we now know - dogs.
Neuroscientist Dr Paul Zak took saliva samples from 10 cats and 10 dogs, both before playtime with their human owner and immediately afterwards. According to the results, the levels of Oxytocin in the dogs’ saliva increased by 57.2 per-cent following quality time with their beloved human. That’s kind of a big deal, considering that a 40-60 per-cent increase in oxytocin is typical when a parent is re-united their child…
‘I was really surprised to discover that dogs produced such high levels of oxytocin’, said Dr Zak, ‘the dog level is a very powerful response and shows that these dogs really care about their owners’.
It’s bad news for cat owners though, as their post-playtime ‘love hormone’ levels only increased by 12 per-cent. Although, according to Dr Zak, that’s better than nothing. ‘ It was also a nice surprise to discover that cats produce any at all. At least some of the time, cats seem to bond with their owners’.
Continuing with the ‘ditch your boyfriend, get a dog’ theme, the funny folk of Bubbledogs are offering you a great valentines day alternative which only involves the tiniest amount of actual shit.
With a little yelp (sorry) from the charity Dog’s Trust, the London restaurant is setting up pop-up shop on the 13th and 14th February at the Printworks kitchen in Clerkenwell, London.
‘Microchippy’ will provide you - the owner - with one of their signature hot-dogs (geddit?) along with a glass of bubbly, whilst your furry, flea-free (hopefully) friend is served a ‘canine-adapted’ delicious, meaty meal. All you have to do is pay 12 quid for the privilege, with all proceeds being donated to the Dogs Trust.
No arguments in the street; no pretending to laugh at shit work stories; no pressure to have sex when you really cba AND a fucking good hot-dog. Literally the stuff valentines day dreams are made of.
If you're a dog owner and he’s really pissing you off atm (your boyfriend, not the dog), then book your ticket here.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.