Dogs in therapy

More media outlets reported on an informal survey of dog behaviour by UBC canine expert Stanley Coren. In a blog post for Psychology Today, Coren said a hug could restrict a dog’s ability to move and therefore stress out the animal.

Coren examined photos of people hugging their dogs online and found that eight out of every 10 photos suggested that the dogs were anxious or uncomfortable with being hugged.

The story appeared in the Guardian (UK), TIME, Boston Globe, CBC News, Ottawa Citizen and Vancouver Sun.