Bristol scientists seek dogs with special toys for attachment study

Sprocker spaniel Benji's blue rubber snake is the first thing he gets when he wakes up, his owner said

Scientists are on the hunt for dog owners whose pets have formed an emotional attachment to a favourite toy or blanket.

Professor Bruce Hood, from the University of Bristol, said they wanted to know if dogs "are just like humans".

"Dogs are domesticated animals and have maybe taken on this social, emotional attachment to things," he said.

Bristol Vet School said it was the "first large-scale systematic survey of the phenomenon".

Developmental psychologist Professor Bruce Hood said he "predicted" emotional attachment would be "related to particular breeds"

Professor Hood said he came up with the idea after talking about his daughter's "very strong attachment" to her blanket when she was growing up.

"And so I began a 20-year career of looking at development of children and their emotional attachment to inanimate things," he said.

"I was talking about it at a dinner party and one of my colleagues from the vet school said 'dogs do this as well'."

Prof Hood said they hoped the survey would "see how common this behaviour" was and whether it related to particular breeds.

Paula Artus said her two-year-old sprocker spaniel Benji was very attached to his blue rubber snake.

"He's had it for the last six months and it's the only toy he hasn't destroyed - maybe because he can't," she said.

"When he gets up in the morning, the first thing he gets is his snake. I do think dogs get attached to things because Benji has his spot on the sofa, his blanket and his toy," she added.

Dr Emily Blackwell, from Bristol Veterinary School, said: "The results will provide fascinating insights into the evolution of social behaviour in both dogs and their owners alike."