🫂 Mandatory cuddles

Learn how rising vet costs affect owners, whether dogs feel empathy, and how a new welfare law could change pets’ lives.

👋 Hi, and welcome back to my free newsletter where I share hand-selected dog research, news, and tips every week.

In this week's edition, you will learn how rising vet costs affect owners, whether dogs feel empathy, and how a new welfare law could change pets’ lives.

Enjoy reading! ✨

📑 STUDY

Rising vet costs

Veterinary care is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many Americans, according to a recent Gallup survey of 2,500 cat and dog owners.

The survey revealed that just over half of those surveyed hadn’t brought their pets to a veterinarian in the past year, even when care was necessary or recommended.

The high costs especially impact younger adults, people of color, and lower-income households.

According to Gallup, 59% of pet owners aged 18 to 29, 58% of Black respondents, 57% of Hispanic respondents, and 55% of those in households earning under $60,000 annually reported skipping or declining veterinary care due to financial constraints.

At Second Chance Ranch in High Ridge, Missouri, founder Tracy Rumpf has seen the trend firsthand.

She says both the frequency of pet surrenders and the cost of veterinary services are on the rise.

“A lot of people, in the last couple of years we’ve noticed, are surrendering their dogs because they can’t afford them anymore - can’t afford their dental, can’t afford preventive, even sometimes food,” Rumpf said.

The financial burden can be substantial. In just six weeks this past April, Rumpf said she paid $26,000 for veterinary-related expenses.

Dr. Leah Cohn, with the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center, confirms that prices continue to climb.

“The cost of veterinary care has risen. There’s no doubt about it,” Cohn said. “It really doesn’t matter if you’re putting an animal through a CT scanner or a person through a CT scanner; same thing for a number of other tools and equipment.”

Since 2014, veterinary costs have increased by more than 60%, according to Gallup, nearly double the 35% rise in general inflation over the same period.

MarketWatch estimates that the average dog owner spends nearly $30,000 over a pet’s lifetime.

That breaks down to roughly $2,500 annually for a pet with insurance. Emergency veterinary visits can still run around $1,500, even with coverage.

Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Pet insurance isn’t cheap, and it doesn’t work for every pet owner. NerdWallet reports monthly premiums typically range from $32 to $62.

However, Investopedia outlines situations where insurance might be a smart investment.

It may make sense if you’re committed to your pet’s care but don’t have significant savings for unexpected bills, if your pet is particularly active and injury-prone, or if you own a breed with known health issues.

It could also benefit owners of young, healthy pets or those who simply want peace of mind.

On the other hand, pet insurance might not be ideal if your pet is already older or has preexisting conditions, if you have sufficient savings to cover emergencies, or if you wouldn’t choose costly treatments even if you could afford them.

Coping With the Costs

Both Rumpf and Cohn stress the importance of annual veterinary checkups, which can help detect health issues early and potentially reduce long-term costs.

They also advise pet owners to prepare for emergencies in advance.

“Plan ahead for what they’re going to do if expensive care is needed — whether that’s having a savings account, being able to get credit for veterinary care, or buying an insurance policy for your pet,” Cohn said.

Rumpf recommends exploring payment plans and using veterinary-specific credit cards to spread out costs over time.

“Sometimes emergencies come up — your dog’s been hit by a car or tears an ACL — and there are resources to help cover those costs,” she said.

When it comes to getting a new pet, Rumpf urges people to consider adoption from rescue organizations and expresses hope that the need for such shelters may one day disappear.

“I would love to not have to have a ranch like this, or all of the amazing rescues out there who every day are battling,” she said.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

 🧠 BEHAVIOR

Empathy

If you have a dog, you've probably asked yourself whether they can actually sense your emotions.

Sure, they lick your tears when you're crying but maybe they’re just drawn to the salty taste? And when you're sick, they cuddle up beside you but is it just because they want a comfy spot on the couch? Not quite.

Science suggests that dogs don’t just notice how you’re feeling, they actively respond to your emotions, often mirroring your behavior as a form of empathy. Here’s how research shows your dog truly cares, and how they show it.

It’s well known that dogs are loyal companions, but empathy goes a step further than simple affection. To empathize, a dog must be able to detect and differentiate human emotions.

That might seem like a stretch for a creature that chases shadows and eats socks, but dogs are surprisingly adept at reading our moods.

A 2017 study found that dogs responded differently to various sounds: happy ones like laughter, sad ones like crying, and neutral ones like rainfall.

They paid more attention to emotional sounds than to neutral ones and behaved in ways that reflected the emotion they heard. This indicates that dogs can not only detect human emotions, but they can also distinguish between them.

In another study, dogs observed their owners reacting to the contents of two boxes, one positively and one with disgust. When given the chance to investigate, 81% of the dogs approached the box their owner had responded to positively, suggesting they understood and reacted to their owner's emotional cues.

Scientific research backs up the idea that dogs feel deeply in response to our emotions, sometimes so much so that it overwhelms them.

A 2018 study found that dogs were quicker to push open a door to reach their owner when the person was crying, compared to when they were merely humming.

Interestingly, the dogs who responded most quickly were also the least stressed themselves, which led researchers to two key insights: first, “the dogs that jumped to action were able to ‘suppress their own distress … to focus on the human involved,’”; and second, those who didn’t open the door may have been frozen by emotional overload rather than indifferent.

Tests evaluating how dogs gazed at their owners showed that both groups shared strong emotional bonds.

As Clive Wynne, professor and expert in dog psychology, told National Geographic, “The emotional connection between humans and dogs is the essence of the relationship … dogs are amazingly social beings, so they are easily infected with our warmth and joy,” adding that our negative emotions can transfer just as easily.

When people express empathy, it’s usually through words or physical gestures like hugs.

Dogs, of course, can’t do either, so how do they show empathy? According to studies, one of the main ways is through behavioral mirroring. Take a look at some common signs of canine empathy and see if your pup exhibits any of them.

They yawn when you do.
Ever notice your dog yawning after you do? Yawning is contagious among humans, and it turns out dogs do it too. This seemingly trivial act is actually an involuntary response tied to social bonding and empathy.

A 2008 study revealed that 72% of dogs yawned after seeing a human yawn, compared to just 33% of chimpanzees in similar studies and 45–60% of humans.

This finding suggests that dogs are capable of emotional mirroring in a similar way to people, particularly with those they are closely bonded to.

So next time you yawn, watch your dog — their reaction might tell you a lot about your emotional connection.

They reflect your stress.
Stress affects more than just you, it impacts your dog as well.

A 2019 Swedish study measured cortisol levels (a hormone linked to stress) in both dogs and their owners. The results showed a strong correlation: dogs had elevated cortisol levels when their owners were stressed and lower levels when their owners were relaxed.

“The personality of the owner … had a strong effect. This has led us to suggest that the dog mirrors its owners’ stress,” said lead researcher Lina Roth.

So, if your dog seems more anxious when you're under pressure, it’s not just in your head; they’re emotionally syncing with you.

While most dogs have the capacity for empathy, how much they express it can depend on factors like their sex and the duration of their relationship with you.

According to a 2019 study, female dogs tend to show stronger empathetic responses, and the longer a dog has been with their owner, the more emotionally in tune they become.

If you’ve recently adopted a dog and haven’t yet noticed signs like contagious yawning or shared stress, don’t worry; it often takes time to build that emotional connection.

Even if your dog doesn’t show empathy in expected ways, it doesn’t mean they don’t care. Just like people, dogs have different personalities and may express love and concern uniquely.

📰 NEWS

Quality time

Authorities in the ACT have unveiled draft regulations aimed at improving dog welfare.

Among the proposals drawing attention is a guideline “requiring all dogs to have a minimum of three hours of human contact daily”.

The intent behind this code is to support dog owners in fulfilling their responsibilities under existing animal welfare legislation in the ACT, which recognises dogs as sentient beings, capable of feeling both pleasure and pain, with those experiences considered meaningful.

Acknowledging dogs as sentient means taking their well-being seriously and considering how to provide them with the best life possible.

But does three hours of human interaction each day truly ensure a good quality of life?

For many owners, three hours spread across a day may be quite feasible, factoring in walks, feeding, pats, and general attention at home.

Still, simply mandating a time quota might miss the point.

What really matters is how that time is used to meet a dog’s individual emotional and physical needs and how long they are left alone in between.

Around the world, more countries are considering dogs’ social and emotional needs.

In Germany, laws require dogs to be walked twice daily for at least an hour each time.

Swedish regulations state that “dogs must have their need for social contact satisfied”.

Though dogs descend from grey wolves, animals that would struggle to coexist with humans, thousands of years of selective breeding have created animals that crave and rely on human companionship.

We have bred dogs to want to be with us, but as a result, many don’t cope well when left alone.

The ACT draft code acknowledges this, stating that “dogs are social animals and must not be kept alone for long periods of time”.

Research suggests that 14–29% of dogs suffer from separation-related problems.

These issues might manifest as:

• barking

• escaping

• destructive digging

• destructive chewing.

Dogs that don’t get enough stimulation or interaction can also suffer from boredom, weight gain, or even depression.

In reality, the quality of time spent with a dog may matter more than the amount.

Some dogs are happiest curled up on the couch with their human during a TV binge. Others thrive on long walks or high-energy play.

And individual needs vary. A young dog might need lots of exercise, while an older dog may struggle with physical activity due to joint issues. Some dogs love chasing toys; others are content simply lying nearby.

Similarly, the amount of time a dog can tolerate being alone depends on the individual. Some dogs may struggle after just a few minutes apart from their owner.

Ultimately, what counts is how time together meets the dog’s needs.

Adding to the complexity, dog owners differ in how they prefer to engage with their pets.

That’s why this proposed guideline could be difficult to gain widespread support. Many responsible owners already know that quality interaction tailored to their dog’s specific needs matters more than a fixed daily time quota.

Still, the draft regulation might prompt both dedicated and less attentive owners to reflect on how much time they spend with their dogs.

It could also lead prospective dog owners to consider whether they can realistically dedicate three hours a day to a pet.

Moreover, it may inspire more owners to develop playful, bonding routines with their dogs. Engaging in fun, shared activities can deepen the human-dog connection.

One of the simplest ways to support our dogs is by being present.

If three hours isn’t manageable, aim for what you can, perhaps by cutting back on screen time or other distractions, and make time for meaningful connection.

It also helps to observe how your dog behaves when alone (a pet camera can be useful). If you notice signs of distress or boredom, seek advice and make adjustments to support their well-being.

For any rule to be effective, it needs to be enforceable.

Realistically, the ACT is unlikely to have the resources to monitor how much time every owner spends with their dog. It’s also unclear how such a requirement could be measured or tracked.

Even if the proposed “three hours a day” recommendation doesn’t make it into the final version of the code, it has already sparked a valuable public discussion and may ultimately lead to improved outcomes for dogs across the territory.

What do you think about this law?