National Hug Your Dog Day is widely attributed to Ami Moore, a Chicago-based professional dog trainer known as the 'Dog Whisperer of Chicago.' No primary documentation from Moore has been identified, and the exact founding year is undocumented.
CHAPTER 01
The science of the bond
The biological foundation of the human-dog bond was confirmed in a landmark 2015 study published in Science by Japanese researcher Takefumi Kikusui and colleagues. The study found that when dogs and their owners gaze at each other, both species experience elevated levels of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for social bonding, trust, and attachment. This mutual oxytocin loop is the same mechanism that bonds mothers to newborns. Critically, the study found that this loop did not occur between humans and hand-raised wolves, suggesting it is a product of domestication, not shared living.
The health implications are significant. Research reviewed by Harvard Medical School and the NIH has linked dog ownership to lower blood pressure, reduced cardiovascular disease risk, and decreased cortisol (stress hormone) levels. Dog owners walk an average of 20 minutes more per day than non-owners. A 2023 American Psychiatric Association poll found that 86% of pet owners reported their pets had a positive effect on their mental health.
