Last weekend I was volunteering for the Weatherford Animal Shelter. We loaded around 20 dogs and cats in the shelter’s beautiful mobile adoption unit and traveled to a K-9 event sponsored by PetsWest in Aledo. It was a gorgeous day and many people attending the event were drawn to the animals that were up for adoption.

Two little Chihuahua sisters on board attracted a lot of attention as they were very friendly and clearly best friends with each other. They were healthy, happy and very good with children and other dogs. Mid-morning, one of the little Chihuahua’s was adopted by a sweet family. After they left I noticed something unusual. The remaining Chihuahua did not audibly cry, but looked very distressed. Her huge brown eyes filled up with what seemed to be tears of emotion. It was heartbreaking to witness! I immediately scooped her up and comforted her and in a few minutes her eyes cleared up.

This incident made me wonder… do dogs cry real tears?

Many scientists say that humans are the only animals that can cry emotional tears. While animals can physically shed tears, the correlation between tears and sorrow is up for debate. We know that our pets have feelings which are displayed daily. When we scold our dogs they often hunker down and look up at us worriedly or hide under the bed. I have noticed too, that a few minutes later my dogs always gently approach me and lick my hand or foot as if asking for forgiveness (which of course I readily give). Dogs and cats, as well as most other animal species, cry verbally as well. But can they really cry tears?

Some vets and many pet owners have reported seeing this phenomenon but it is impossible to completely discern if an animal tears are purely emotional or caused by eye irritation. If only they could talk!

It is a common and seemingly natural tendency for humans to perceive nonhuman animals or inanimate objects as having human characteristics. This tendency is called anthropomorphism and physiologists suggest it provides a window into the way in which humans perceive themselves. Common examples of this tendency include naming cars or begging machines to work. All I can say is, to me the Chihuahua seemed to be quietly weeping over the loss of her sister that she had spent her whole life with.

As I choked back real tears at the thought of her returning to the shelter without her lifelong friend, another sweet family with two kids picked her up for a cuddle. They ended up adopting her as well as another dog. The little Chihuahua seemed as happy as could be as she left in the arms of her new “mother.”

There I go anthropomorphizing again!