The original tweet got 220k likes and was posted by Mandy Patinkin, an actor, singer, and as he likes to refer to himself, a humanitician. He has almost 300k followers and he uses his platform to bring attention to issues that he considers to be important, the latest being encouraging people to sign a petition to cancel the death penalty to a man he thinks doesn‘t deserve it.
But not all Mandy Patinkin’s posts are so serious. The post about his dog, whose name is Becky, was one of those lighthearted and relatable situations. People loved the photo and started sharing how their dogs beg for food when they sit down to eat.
Even if the dogs have just eaten or if it's food that is not meant for pets—it doesn't matter, the owner's heart still breaks from not giving their beloved doggo anything when they see that not only their eyes but their drool also shows how bad they want a taste of what you're having.
Puppy eyes are a powerful weapon that make the owner weak and they fail to resist the manipulation. But how can one say no when a dog is sitting there patiently—you just have to reward it for being a good boy.
It could be that the word ‘manipulation’ is too strong for describing the way dogs look at us, but dogs quickly figure out that this facial expression works. Researchers say that the muscle with which dogs lift their inner eyebrows is not present in wolves, so that means it could be that this feature evolved for dogs to better communicate with humans.
But why can't we resist those big round eyes and do whatever it takes to please our pets? Humans as a species use their eyes a lot to communicate and bond. The same happens when we look at our dogs’ eyes. It could be that our pets' eyes reminds our subconscious of the big and round eyes babies have. Humans are always more attracted to infantile looks that are associated with cuteness, and now even dogs have evolved to have them.
