CHICAGO — Does your dog smile?
Ninety-three percent of dog owners surveyed by Natural Balance Pet Foods say yes.
The company was in town for Paws Chicago's Run for Their Lives 8K Run/4K Walk over the weekend, hosting a pop-up treat station.
The survey — completed prior to arriving in Chicago — asked 1,015 pet owners some rather strange questions about their relationships with their pets.
Among the findings were that 79 percent of those asked said their dog can feel embarrassment.
Though "dogshaming" is a popular meme online, those dogs might not be feeling as shameful as they look.
Modern Dog Magazine reports that dogs can feel basic emotions, like fear, anger, affection, joy and excitement, but not more complex emotions like guilt, pride or shame.
When dogs look guilty, they are actually responding to human actions — like an angry outburst — and not their own misbehavior, PBS reports.
But that means the 52 percent of owners who agreed that a dog can sense when its owner is sad were right, and also the 55 percent who said their dog "looks at them with loving eyes."
Also in the survey, akin to the old adage, dog owners sought out pets similar to their personalities.
Sixty-six percent of extroverted respondents said their dogs love strangers, but only 28 percent of introverted respondents said so.
But can dogs really smile?
According to the ASPCA, the body language that makes a dog's mouth hang open and the corners of his lips turn up slightly only happens when relaxed, so, maybe.
We'll put it at a 93 percent chance.
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