When a dog stares at you with big, sad, puppy dog eyes, it's easy to imagine that this adorable look is meant specifically to melt your heart (and score some treats). But new research shows that other species in the canid family tree are just as capable of making sorrowful eyes as your pooch.
The new finding, published April 10 in the journal The Anatomical Record, dispels the belief that puppy dog eyes are the product of domestication. And it debunks a 2019 study hypothesizing that pooches evolved a highly expressive face due to their long history with humans.
