Dogs Recall Their Owners' Scent Like You Remember Your Mom's Perfume

Ever worry that your puppy is just in it for the kibble? Well, be reassured: A new study suggests that your dog remembers your scent just the way you can’t catch a whiff of fresh-baked cookies without thinking of your grandma. (Or Shalimar, depending on the type of grandma you had.)

According to the Telegraph, researchers at Emory University (still undefeated!) have found that dogs respond extra strongly to the scents of familiar humans. According to the study’s leader:

“When humans smell the perfume or cologne of someone they love, they may have an immediate, emotional reaction that’s not necessarily cognitive.

“Our experiment may be showing the same process in dogs. But since dogs are so much more olfactory than humans, their responses would likely be even more powerful than the ones we might have.”

Dogs in the study weren’t simply reacting to the presence of their humans, with its implicit promise of food and tummy scratches. The familiar “scent donors” weren’t actually in the room—researchers waved something that smelled like each person in front of each dog. Their reactions suggest that “dogs’ brains have these mental representations of us that persist when we’re not there.”

Basically, your dog totally loves you a lot and is missing you right now and if you leave now you can probably beat the traffic home.