Everyone’s Crying After An Expert Explained What Dogs Dream Of

Humans are always wondering about what’s going through their little furry pets’ heads. What do they want when they’re barking or purring? What’s their favorite thing to do? What do they dream of? Well, People recently talked to Dr. Deirdre Barrett, who’s a teacher and Clinical and Evolutionary Psychologist at Harvard Medical School, to learn about the latter.

The Harvard expert answered a number of questions about sleep with all mammals, explaining that, “most mammals have a similar sleep cycle to humans, going into a deep sleep stage… and then into periods of activity called REM sleep,” which is when dreams occur for humans. So, because most mammals have those same sleep cycles, it’s also safe to assume that mammals dream, as well.

It was the next answer from Dr. Barrett, though, that’s getting people up in tears – how humans and dogs differ in their dreams. She explained to People:

Q: What do dogs experience when they dream?

A: Humans dream about the same things they’re interested in by day, though more visually and less logically. There’s no reason to think animals are any different. Since dogs are generally extremely attached to their human owners, it’s likely your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell, and of pleasing or annoying you.

When dog owners learned that their pups may be dreaming of their face, they basically lost it. People took to Twitter to share their feels, posting pictures of their dogs sleeping, side by side with selfies of them crying. Awee! @harrysosborn shared his thoughts, gaining over 64,600 retweets as of Sunday.

Pet owners tweeted things like, “my heart hurts,” and “life changing,” and we couldn’t agree more.

Ever wonder why dogs moving their legs like they’re running in their sleep? Dr. Barrett discussed that with People, as well:

Q: What does it mean when my pet is asleep and its legs start moving like they are running?

A: They may well be dreaming they’re running… the more pronounced and fast the movements, the more likely they’re acting out a dream.”

Of course, as Uncle Ben told Peter in Spiderman, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” So, as pet owners, who have the great responsibility of caring for our furry buddies and being their absolute bestest of friends, how can we make sure they have the best dreams possible? Dr. Barrett told People:

The best way to give ourselves or our children better dreams is to have happy daytime experiences and to get plenty of sleep in a safe and comfortable environment. It’s a good bet this is also best for pets’ dreams.

So, get out there with your furry friend and throw those tennis balls, go on those long hikes, and take them to doggie parks. Hopefully, that will help them have fun, loving dreams, because that’s what they all deserve.