Study: Being A ‘Dog Person’ Is Genetic
Are you a dog person? Chances are, it runs in the family.
CHORNOBYL, UKRAINE – AUGUST 17: Stray dogs seek a handout of food outside the workers cafeteria at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on August 17, 2017 near Chornobyl, Ukraine. An estimated 900 stray dogs live in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, many of them likely the descendants of dogs left behind following the mass evacuation of residents in the aftermath of the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Volunteers, including veterinarians and radiation experts from around the world, are participating in an initiative called The Dogs of Chernobyl, launched by the non-profit Clean Futures Fund. Participants capture the dogs, study their radiation exposure, vaccinate them against parasites and diseases including rabies, tag the dogs and release them again into the exclusion zone. Some dogs are also being outfitted with special collars equipped with radiation sensors and GPS receivers in order to map radiation levels across the zone. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Are you a dog person? Chances are, it runs in the family.
A new study from British and Swedish scientists found that the decision to get a dog is heavily influenced by a person's genetic make-up and could be inherited from your parents.
The study looked at 35,000 pairs of twins, finding that identical twins were far more likely than non-identical twins to either both have a dog or not, suggesting a genetic link.
Past research as shown that having a pet as a child makes you more likely to have pets as an adult.
