A dog is a man’s best friend, and that was certainly true for one patient at a hospital in northern Turkey, whose devoted companion waited at the door for six days until he was discharged.
On January 14, when Cemal Senturk was taken by ambulance to Medical Park Hospital in Trabzon, his dog, Boncuk, escaped from their apartment and followed him to the hospital, where she waited patiently every day. Senturk’s family was notified about the location of his canine companion by hospital officials.
Yet after being sent home, Boncuk managed to flee again – and returned to the hospital every day, according to Murat Ercan, the hospital’s foreign patient centre director. According to the hospital, Senturk’s apartment was close, and the family was unsure how the dog kept escaping.
“His dog ‘Boncuk’ has accompanied him to the hospital gate and did not left the premised until her owner got discharged,” Ercan said in a statement. Even when the family (brought) Boncuk back home, she escaped every day to wait outside the hospital gate.
Senturk chatted with Boncuk via the window during his stay at the institution to attempt to reassure and console her. Yet his loyal four-legged companion refused to go until Senturk did. During his stakeout, the dog gained the affection of medical workers, who fed and cared for him, according to Ercan.
Boncuk got back with her owner again on Wednesday, Jan. 20, after nearly a week of waiting, when Senturk was freed from the hospital. That evening, the two returned home together.
Reasons Why Dogs Are So Loyal
If you consider your dog to be man’s most faithful buddy, you have 13,000 years of science on your side. Archaeologists discovered buried dog bones near human dwellings at that time. They believe that after wolves developed into dogs, man and dog coexisted peacefully. And as they began to befriend one another, their bond became inextricably—and forever-linked.
Where do dogs earn their devotion from?
Because dogs are group creatures evolved from wolves, they like to hunt, eat, sleep, and live as part of a pack. They’re sociable creatures, and once tamed, that group evolved into us, humans.
If you’ve ever spent time teaching your dog to sit, talk, or stay, you’ll know that they want to please you—your pack leader—just as wild wolves want to please their alpha top-wolf.
Is one breed more loyal than another?
Almost all dog breeds are extremely faithful. Nevertheless, according to Dr. Ochoa, a few stand out in terms of loyalty. Boxers, labs, and chihuahuas are very dedicated to their owners.
Yet, as previously said, any dog breed can be loyal, and some dogs who have never had the pleasure of a true pack may not have formed a loyalty beyond themselves. Nonetheless, this is most likely the exception rather than the rule.
Pack Dynamics
Dogs’ loyalty is also a natural behaviour. Dogs are pack animals, which means they are sociable creatures who want to be with other animals. This conduct is also a survival mechanism. Packs thrive because its members rely on one another to live.
Many dog trainers and other animal specialists feel that dogs are devoted to their people because of their pack mentality. They believe that pooches regard humans as simply another member of the group. So dogs don’t simply like cuddling; they also believe that devotion will keep them alive. In fact, trainers generally advise that throughout obedience training, you must assert yourself as the “alpha dog.” If your dog regards you as the leader of their group, he or she will follow your lead.
Choosing one person above another
This might be motivated by love, which evidence suggests animals like dogs can feel,Bloom says. However, if we’re being honest, doggos lean towards the person who gives them more goodies, takes them for walks, and plays with them a lot.
In fact, spending time together while training your dog is a great way to deepen your relationship.
Recognizing and responding to cues
Whoever undertakes the most training with the four-legged family member will almost always have their attention. What’s the reason? Dogs comprehend that reacting to cues and orders either leads to good stuff or prevents negative stuff. Bloom claims that loyalty plays no part in this conduct.
We Changed Together
Dog domestication began when men were cavemen. Both species have developed to benefit one another through time. In many respects, their behaviours were identical, and both were predators who chased prey in groups and attacked aggressively.
With the passage of time, our ancestors began to hunt alongside these canines, with each species benefiting from the other. The connection is slightly different today, yet the love remains. Humans promoted this interdependent connection even further by developing breeds with qualities that were especially helpful to their human owners.
Perhaps this long common history explains why people and dogs are so inseparable. We’ve built a symbiotic connection over the years that has bonded us and helped our dogs develop a strong sense of devotion.
Dogs May Be Able To Love
Apart from genetics and psychology, there is research that shows dog devotion may be biological as well. One such study, conducted at Claremont Graduate University in California, gives some insights into the biochemical foundation of the link between dogs and people.
The researchers investigated the levels of oxytocin (love hormones) in domesticated animals. It was revealed that in intimate settings, dogs and other pets produce oxytocin. The oxytocin level is comparable to the spike of oxytocin in persons who are sexually attracted to someone.
Similarly, a 2015 research aimed to map the brain of dogs in order to understand how various areas of their brain respond to different odours. The study found that dogs react intensely to the fragrance of their owners, and the brain wave pattern seen is identical to that seen in humans in love.
In a similar experiment, dogs were forced to see a stranger being nasty to their owner. Following that, they let the dogs engage with the stranger. When the dogs were permitted to engage with the impolite stranger, the results revealed that they would aggressively snub them.
