Financial Education Benefits Center Asks: Why Do So Many Dogs End Up Looking and Acting Like Their Owners?

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Jul 09, 2018, 13:00 ET

SAN RAMON, Calif., July 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Why do so many dogs end up looking and acting like their owners? Research shows similarities in appearance and personality may occur because owners unconsciously choose dogs that are most like them, inviting the familiar into their homes and lives. It makes sense that people are careful with their canine choices since an average dog lives longer (11 years) than the average marriage in the U.S (8 years). Maybe that's why so many owners care so much about their dog - they see them as extensions of themselves and are willing to spend time and money in making sure their dog is healthy and well. Financial Education Benefits Center (FEBC), a membership benefits company providing health and financial wellness to members, offers a veterinary discount benefit aiming to help take the cost out of pet care decisions.

"There's nothing worse than having to take a loved one to the emergency room," said Jennifer Martinez, manager at FEBC. "When you take a pet to the ER, you shouldn't have to weigh treatment decisions against cost."

Any trip to a dog park might result in noticing that a beagle and its owner have similar long, sad faces. Or that an Afghan hound and owner have wispy long hair rippling in the wind. Is this by chance? A study published in 2004, that has been duplicated since, shows that outsiders can consistently match photos of owners with photos of their purebred dogs, without seeing them together. Though there was little correlation with mutts and their owners, the authors of the research concluded that results "suggest that when people pick a pet, they seek one that, at some level, resembles them and when they get a purebred, they get what they want."

The same trip to the dog park might also result in noticing that a dog and its owner are both shy or sociable. Or that another dog and its owners appear independent and confident. Again, is this mere projection? In another study, based on levels of cortisol, the stress response of dogs was measured so that characteristics such as agreeableness, anxiety, independence, and sociability and neuroticism could be contrasted with the owner's self-assessment in these same areas. The study concluded that these personality traits "scaled positively" between dog and owner.

Humans started domesticating dogs perhaps 30,000 years ago to help with hunting and security, but slowly these creatures have been bred in our own image, building an intense emotional bond that crosses the natural boundaries between our species. "Dogs look like us and act like us and, unlike most other humans or pets, they almost always return our feelings of love and companionship," said Jennifer Martinez. "No wonder we care so much about their welfare. A dog getting sick, or any pet, is like a family member getting sick. In order to ease the financial strain of caring for your sick pet, FEBC offers veterinary discount benefits in certain locations that are intended to help you and your pet feel better."

About Financial Education Benefits Center

Financial Education Benefits Center is located in San Ramon, California. The membership company has already helped thousands save money and obtain the necessary education required to live a financially healthy life.

Financial Education Benefits Center has partnered with several name brand third-party companies to expand the financial and educational products and services available to its members and to provide a variety of wellness services as well.

Financial Education Benefits Center Newsroom

Contact

To learn more about Financial Education Benefits Center, please contact:

Financial Education Benefits Center
2010 Crow Canyon Place Ste. 100
San Ramon, CA 94583
1-800-953-1388
[email protected]

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SOURCE Financial Education Benefits Center