In case anybody is wondering the actual reason, it’s because many quadrupedal mammals bathe by licking themselves and each other, particular between parents and offspring, so a dog licking you is just the dog’s instinctual response to close physical contact with family members. Some hypothesize that dogs enjoy being pet because it emulates the sensation of their mother licking them. Some animals are somewhat incapable of cleaning themselves at a young age and that leads to problems with early separation, such as Lions who in captivity are often paired with a dog who serves as a surrogate mother for cleaning them.
kissies
Submitted 7 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/39da1196-ec5f-42ae-8edd-db0e309f3654.jpeg
Comments
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 7 months ago
tamal3@lemmy.world 7 months ago
There are also some related wolf behaviors. Pups seem to lick parent faces to trigger them to regurgitate foraged food when they return to the den after hunting. I always imagine that my pup is licking my face to get me to regurgitate a smackerel of something delicious.
The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 7 months ago
On the other hand. they also lick their butthole so…
ursakhiin@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Are you saying you don’t clean your butthole?
Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Am I the only one getting irrationally grossed out by people letting dogs lick their faces ?
lowleveldata@programming.dev 7 months ago
Probably not. But you get used to dirty things when you have pets.
flicker@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Let me say… I work in healthcare. I clean human waste. I’m not easily grossed out.
I wouldn’t let a dog lick my face.
dave@feddit.uk 7 months ago
Let me say… I work in healthcare. I clean human waste. I’m not easily grossed out.
Come on Jo, we’ve talked about this. You’re supposed to call them patients.
dingus@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I also work in healthcare and deal with lots of poop and blood and dogs licking my face doesn’t gross me out. Cats on the countertop do squick my out a bit though.
naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Idk, you probably just live an artificially clean life.
If you do any sort of manual labour you get all sorts of gross crap on you. If it’s on your hands it’s on your face a few moments later anyway.
Carcinogenic grease, random lab chemicals, who knows what the fuck from soil, lightly rotting food and bathroom grime from housework, kitchen grease whatever.
That’s why you wash your hands and face regularly through the day and shower /shrug.
BubbleMonkey@slrpnk.net 7 months ago
You wash your face regularly throughout the day? How much dos your skin hate you?
Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
I really don’t get your argument…how is me living a theorical “artificial” clean life relevant ?
It’s like arguing that getting kicked in the balls is fine because “you’re probably just live in an artificially painless life, with painkillers and modern medicine”.
Atropos@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I don’t think it’s very irrational to be grossed out by that.
FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 7 months ago
If anything, being grossed out is rational and being enamored by it is an emotional response.
Theharpyeagle@lemmy.world 7 months ago
You’re not wrong to be grossed out, but dog kissies give me the big dopamine so I allow it.
Xantar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
It’s more than grossed out in fact, it’s a deep disgust that makes me nauseous. I can’t stand to even look at the image in this post.
But I’m glad it’s fine for you, I wish I was in the same boat.
aport@programming.dev 7 months ago
I let my dog kiss me on the mouth
GammaGames@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Yeah
TheSlad@sh.itjust.works 7 months ago
Naw, dogs are fuckin gross
tamal3@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Eh, I don’t know, I don’t have any allergies… And I think my gross lifestyle has something to do with it.
Zerush@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
They like to do this always after licking their ass and balls.
acetanilide@lemmy.world 7 months ago
If you make them wait a few minutes the germs will disappear
Zerush@lemmy.ml 7 months ago
Sure, you just have to keep believing it
Agent641@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Almost all of my bones are inside my body
shinratdr@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
Outside bones, outside bones, never forget your teeth are outside bones
Lolman228@kbin.social 7 months ago
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a flesh sack?
100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 7 months ago
Lick the dog’s face first. Assert dominance.
sirico@feddit.uk 7 months ago
Looks like my staffy she used to go up your nostrils so it might have a point
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Not even a decent gaslight heh
SuiXi3D@fedia.io 7 months ago
PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Reminds me of the Zou Arc from One Piece
Brooke is probably still traumatized even today…
helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 7 months ago
You know that was like a month ago for them right? So yes.
ummthatguy@lemmy.world 7 months ago
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Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 7 months ago
Best Pokemon/trek crossover ever.
AmosBurton_ThatGuy@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
Awe its so cute! It can’t be worse than the Swamp Gobbler’s, right?
ummthatguy@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Right.
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