Fenrir’s (my Alaskan Klee Kai) eyebrows really crack me up! Most of the fur around his face is gray, but his eyebrows are all white. It gives him quite a distinct look. I joke that if my dogs could talk, the one thing of Fen’s that my Papillon, Kitsune, would be jealous of would be his dignified brows. Truth be told, despite not standing out quite as much, Kitsune’s brow game is pretty on point too. Have you ever wondered why dogs have such expressive eyebrows when compared to most other members of the animal kingdom?
Did you know that dogs, like humans, use their eyebrows to express emotion?
See? Fen’s eyebrow game is always on point!
I suppose all dog owners will already know that, though. Sad puppy dog eyes anyone? Besides humans and other primates, there’s not a ton of animal species that use their eyebrows to outwardly express emotions. Wolves, although social and highly communicative with each other, don’t express emotions with their eyes in the same way that our domestic dogs do. In fact, domestic dogs have muscles in their eyebrows that don’t even exist in wolves!
That’s Evolution For Ya!
These muscles allow dogs to control their eyebrows in ways that wolves, and other animals, cannot. Specifically, dogs are able to raise their inner eyebrows. This movement opens their eyes wider, and makes their eyes appear larger – aka…puppy dog eyes!
Take a look at this study, Evolution of facial muscle anatomy in dogs, published in 2019. If you scroll down a bit, to the results section, you can see a diagram that illustrates the difference in facial musculature between domestic dogs and wolves.
Basically, humans are suckers for puppy dog eyes. Over time, we selected for dogs with more pronounced eyebrow movements. Perhaps we can relate better to dogs who use their eyebrows in a similar way to how we use our own? Or maybe we just find dogs who are more expressive to be cuter?
Having More Expressive Eyebrows Benefits Dogs.
Studies have suggested that shelter dogs with more expressive eyebrows are more likely to get adopted faster!
The study Paedomorphic Facial Expressions Give Dogs a Selective Advantage was published back in 2013, but the results are still really interesting today. Researchers tested how facial expressions that enhance dog’s neonatal (childlike) appearance impacts how quickly they are adopted from shelters. According to the study, dogs who raised their inner brows more often found new homes faster than their less expressive counterparts. This is, theoretically, because manipulating their eyebrows in this manner effects their eye size and height, making them look more childlike, and thus cuter.
It seems like those puppy dog eyes, so famous for helping dogs to beg for bits of extra dinner, involve more than just the eyes themselves. There’s some serious brow work going on too!
What do you think? Comment below! Does your dog use certain facial expressions to try to manipulate you? Kit and Fen seem to have thoroughly perfected the sad puppy look. It’s totally hard to resist giving them what they want when they give me ‘the look’. I guess I have thousands of years of evolution to thank for that!
Fun fact – Fenrir is officially the first Alaskan Klee Kai to ever be licensed in our town!
Dog Licenses Can Be Fun!
When did you begin your blog and what do you currently write about on your blog?
1. Keep working on all the social media ‘stuff’. I’d really love to grow our audience as much as I can in 2022. On January 1st I started a 365 post Instagram challenge for two reasons. One, because my beloved dog Kitsune just turned 13 and that’s kind of been hard for me. I want to document as much as I can of him and his ‘brofur’ because, as much as it sucks, my dog being officially a teenager has really made me think about how, someday, all I’ll have are the pictures and memories. I want as many of them as possible! Oh and two, because, ya know, content and social media followers and all that jazz. (Shameless plug, you can watch me probably fail my Instagram challenge on 
I need your best, most delicious dessert recipe that’s both human and dog safe. This is actually not related to my blog…this is related to the fact that I really want to lay around in my PJs and eat desserts that I can share with my dogs. Oh – I’ll blog about it. There – it’s blog related.
I still remember all our firsts together so clearly. The first time I saw pictures of you, then showing those pictures to your ‘Dad’, to ask him if he agreed that you were, indeed, ‘the one’. I remember seeing your adorable little face for the first time in person. How good you were on the long journey to your new home! I wanted nothing more than to snuggle you when we got home. You wanted nothing more than to snuggle your new Dad! The picture of you curled up on his lap on the kitchen floor, just minutes after we had arrived home with you that first day, will always make me smile. Despite me being your main caretaker all these years, there’s never been any doubt about who your special person really is – and, perhaps surprisingly for some of our readers, it isn’t me.
If you’re looking for something you can feed your pet to help keep his/her teeth clean, considering offering appropriately sized raw meaty bones or healthy chews. When offering raw meaty bones, avoid cooked bones, and the weight bearing bones of large animals. Cooked bones can splinter and injure your pet. Large, dense weight bearing bones have been known to chip teeth. Both my dogs are on the small/medium side (around 17 – 18 lbs). For dogs their size, I’d consider things like chicken wings or necks, quail, duck wings, necks, feet, or pork tails.
In addition to brushing and raw meaty bones, for awhile now we’ve been using ProDen PlaqueOff Products.
Small dogs are somewhat notorious for having bad teeth. This is thought to be because of their more compact jaws, which often leads to overcrowding of their teeth. Thankfully, through a multi-pronged approach I’ve found a care schedule that works really well for my own dogs. Remembering to brush their teeth on a regular basis can sometimes feel like a pain. The dental chews I’ve been using aren’t exactly cheap – but they’re cheaper and much less stressful to deal with than having regular cleanings under anesthesia at the vet would be! I consider dental health to be an important part of overall health care. As an added benefit, my dogs both get super excited when it’s time to take care of their teeth. Clean teeth means nice fresh breathe when they’re showering me in puppy kisses!
In the past, I hate to admit, I was one of the many people who would have, more likely than not, passed up adopting a senior animal in favor of a younger one. Now having experienced the adoring love of older pets first hand, I’d love to someday take in an older animal in need. I think it’s just heartbreaking that so many older, gentle souls find themselves in animal shelters – especially those of them who have grown old surrounded by family.
All you have to do is head on over to 
Provide your pet with plenty of fresh water!
I mix acv in with Kitsune’s food usually twice per week, sometimes more often if his allergies are bothering him more than usual. I only give him a teaspoon at a time. Kitsune is 20 lbs. Be careful about adding too much acv to your dog’s water or food. It has a strong smell and flavor and may cause your pet to refuse his/her food if too much vinegar is added.
