- A new University of California study suggests dogs can exhibit jealousy
- Study dogs acted jealous when their owners displayed affection to a fake dog
- Experts say study is significant step forward in understanding pets' emotions
(CNN) -- Sure, Fido is a brown Lab. But inside, he may also be a little green.
New research suggests that dogs can exhibit jealousy, a human emotion usually ascribed to squabbling siblings or the jilted third of a love triangle.
A study by scholars at the University of California, San Diego found that dogs showed jealous behaviors when their owners displayed affection toward an animatronic stuffed dog that barked, whined and wagged its tail. The dogs snapped at and pushed against the stuffed dog and tried to get between it and the human.
This may come as no surprise to any owner of multiple pooches who has seen them jostle for space on someone's lap. And it's not unusual for people to assign human feelings to their dogs, whose baleful eyes seem like deep pools of emotion when compared with those of, say, cats.
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Dog reunites with deployed sailor But animal-behavior experts say the study is a significant step forward in understanding our dogs' emotional lives.
"This is the first study I know of that directly asks this question: Do dogs get jealous?" said Marc Bekoff, author of "Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed: The Fascinating Science of Animal Intelligence, Emotions, Friendship, and Conservation."
The study by Christine R. Harris and Caroline Prouvost was published Wednesday in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed online scientific journal. For their research, the authors videotaped 36 dogs individually at their homes while their owners ignored them and interacted with a series of three objects: the fake dog, a children's book and a plastic jack-o'-lantern.
The canines included 14 small breeds such as pugs, dachshunds, corgis and terriers. Researchers chose small breeds so they could more easily control the dogs if they acted out violently.
The dogs acted jealous when their owners petted the stuffed dog and talked sweetly to it as if it was real, although they displayed less such behavior when the owner showered attention on the pumpkin or read aloud from the children's book, which had pop-up pages and played melodies.
In this way, the study suggests, the dogs' jealousy was triggered by social interaction and not merely by their owners' ignoring them for an inanimate object. Eighty-six percent of the dogs sniffed the butt of the toy dog during the experiment, so many of them may have seen it as real.
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The findings mirror those of other studies that found human babies as young as 6 months displayed jealous behaviors when their mothers interacted with a realistic-looking doll. The infants did not act jealous, however, when their mothers attended to a nonsocial item such as a book.
"These results lend support to the hypothesis that jealousy has some 'primordial' form that exists in human infants and in at least one other social species besides humans," the study said.
Although most animals clearly demonstrate primal emotions such as anger or fear, studies have been less conclusive in determining whether dogs are capable of more complicated feelings such as guilt or shame, Bekoff said.
But research has shown that dogs do understand when they're being treated unfairly, he said.
"Dogs are really keen social observers," Bekoff said.
Animal behavioral expert Patricia McConnell, author of "For the Love of a Dog" and other books, said she was impressed with the new study's methodology.
But she's not surprised by its findings.
"I think we share a tremendous amount of emotional life ... with dogs," she said. "But I have never thought of jealousy as a particularly complex emotion (in animals). Is human jealousy exactly like dog jealousy? I'm sure it's not."
Does your dog ever act jealous? Share your experience in the comments section below.
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Casey Kasem, who entertained radio listeners for almost four decades as the host of countdown shows such as "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," died early Sunday, June 15, according to a Facebook post from his daughter Kerri Kasem. 
Kasem, the legendary DJ, host and voice-over talent, was born in Detroit and got his start at Michigan radio stations. Here he is in the DJ booth at Detroit's WJBK in 1957. 
Kasem moved to the West Coast in the early '60s. He hosted the KTLA music show "Shebang!" in Los Angeles in 1965. 
Kasem was also an actor, though his films weren't necessarily Oscar material. In 1971, he starred in "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" with Berry Kroeger, left, and Bruce Dern. 
He made occasional TV guest appearances as well. "The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom," an episode of "The Hardy Boys Mysteries" in which Kasem affected a Columbo-like persona, also starred Pamela Sue Martin (as Nancy Drew) and Parker Stevenson (as Frank Hardy). 
Kasem married Jean Thompson in 1980. 
Casey and Jean Kasem attend the 21st Annual International Broadcasting Awards in Century City, California, in 1981. 
Casey and Jean Kasem are shown with children Kerri Kasem, Michael Kasem and Julie Kasem at the Lebanon-Syrian American Society of Greater Los Angeles Man of the Year Awards in Beverly Hills, California, in 1985. The children are all from Casey Kasem's first marriage, to Linda Myers. 
Casey and Jean Kasem were frequent participants in the Hollywood social circuit. Here, they attend the Stars 'N Hearts Benefit Fund-raiser for Animals in 1982. 
Kasem was an in-demand voice-over artist. He's probably best known for supplying the voice of Shaggy in the "Scooby-Doo" cartoon series. 
Kasem hosted a number of countdown shows, including "American Top 40," "Casey's Top 40" and "America's Top 10." He handed off "AT40" to Ryan Seacrest in 2004. 
Casey and Jean Kasem ride in the 2007 Hollywood's Santa Parade in Hollywood, California, on November 25, 2007. 
Even after leaving his long-running radio shows, Kasem stayed active. He attended Fred Segal's birthday charity event and auction at a private residence in Malibu, California, on August 29, 2009. 
Hitting the China travel trail doesn't have to be a struggle if you arm yourself with the right knowledge. 
You want rice? You gotta say it aloud. Rice is rarely served during a meal in Chinese restaurants, being seen as a cheap way to fill up at the end if needed. 
More traditional Chinese scenes are hidden in alleyways. Those worn footpaths into lanes and hutongs are public spaces, which hold some of the most captivating views in China's big cities. 
In order to get some local color, "take to the backstreets behind your hotel for an early breakfast of dumplings or noodles and watch the area wake up while you eat," suggests Australian business traveler Matthew Tobin. 
Some boutique hotels provide interesting art experiences, like this wall comprising more than 6,000 drawers at Opposite House Hotel in the Sanlitun area of Beijing. 
