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Do dogs know who’s kind? Scientists put it to the test—and got a surprise

Despite our strong belief in dogs' ability to sense good from bad in people, new research shows they may not actually judge human character, at least not in the way we think. When dogs watched how humans treated other dogs, they didn’t favor the kinder person later. Even direct interactions didn’t sway their behavior. The study suggests dogs' reputational judgments might be more nuanced—or harder to study—than we realized.

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