Dog with Human Face Adoption: People Like Pets Who Look Like Them

People go gaga for their pets, especially if they look like them.

A recent poodle-Shih Tzu mix available for adoption is making all the rage in the public scene, otherwise known as Tonik, for his human-like appearance. He is currently at the Indiana animal welfare agency.

According to Petfinder, the dog came to the Homeward Bound Animal Welfare Group from a shelter in Kentucky.

So why are people going so crazy over this animal? There certainly are a lot of animal lovers out there. But what if there was a statistic that showed just how much people adored their furry friends, especially when they saw themselves in their pet or pets?

In 2004, according to a 2009 article in The New York Times, researchers in San Diego found that subjects in a study were able to correctly match pictures of dog owners with their pets more often than not, but only when the dogs were purebreds. Traits such as hair and size also played a smaller role than things such as facial expressions.

A psychologist from the University of South Carolina also challenged the findings that same year in a separate study, pointing out the flaws of the study's design and arguing the initial finds.

In 2009, a scientist in England conducted a study consisting of 70 subjects who were then asked to match pictures of 41 dog owners to one of several breeds. They were able to match them successfully more than half the time. And similar to the previous study in San Diego, most of the matches were based on personality traits, which led some scientists to believe that when choosing a dog, some like to pick out ones who show similar characteristics to their own.