A recent report found some very interesting bonding results in the area of women with children and pets. This study included twenty women with at least one child between the age of two and ten years old. Also, their dog who has been in the home for at least two years.  The results are fascinating!

Participation consisted of two sessions, the first being a home visit during which participants completed several questionnaires, including ones regarding their relationships with both their child and pet dog.

The participants' dog and child were also photographed in each participants' home.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) – which indicates levels of activation in specific brain structures by detecting changes in blood flow and oxygen levels – was then performed as participants lay in a scanner and viewed a series of photographs.

The imaging studies revealed both similarities and differences in the way important brain regions reacted to images of a woman's own child and own dog.

Areas previously reported as important for functions such as emotion, reward, affiliation, visual processing and social interaction all showed increased activity when participants viewed either their own child or their own dog.

A region known to be important to bond formation – the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SNi/VTA) – was activated only in response to images of a participant's own child.

The fusiform gyrus, which is involved in facial recognition and other visual processing functions, actually showed greater response to own-dog images than own-child images.

‘Although this is a small study that may not apply to other individuals, the results suggest there is a common brain network important for pair-bond formation and maintenance that is activated when mothers viewed images of either their child or their dog,' says Luke Stoeckel, co-lead author of the PLOS ONE report.

Can you really feel guilty if you fall into the category above?

We don't!

After all, while we love our children they are a bit more demanding than “Spot” or “Max”. Your dog simply requires a good meal, an occasional pat on the head and a cuddle to think his “Mom” is the best thing since dog food in a pouch. And your kids, while not necessarily meaning to, can take your efforts for granted.

For more specific information on this study you can go over to the Daily Mail.

Let's face it, your children and your dog are both wonderful additions to your life! Just love them and, in the end, it will work out!