Why do we kiss our pets? What part of our body tells us that it’s a good idea to put our lips against an animal that doesn’t probably understand this type of affection?
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Domestic animals absolutely understand this type of affection.
Dogs (and to a lesser extent cats, horses, and all other domestic animals, but especially dogs) have been carefully selected over thousands of generations. Especially before intentional selection for certain traits, the most important thing that they would have been selected for was how well they got along with humans. Dogs, almost uniquely among animals, can understand pointing at things and point at things themselves (the only other animals that scientists all agree understand pointing are humans and elephants). A dog that properly interpreted human emotions and behavior would be more loved by their human masters, and so more likely to be successful and reproduce.
Numerous scientific studies show that dogs are capable of interpreting human facial expressions and body language, as well as tone of voice. Similarly, dogs present facial expressions for the purposes of being read by humans: they’re much less likely to use facial expressions with other dogs, preferring “wolf-like” body language. Adult cats only meow when humans are present.
So yes, your dog understands that you kissing it is a sign of affection, and your cat probably does too, and your horse, your cow, and probably your pet rat as well. Your monitor lizard…less likely. But almost all animals use physical touching to indicate affection, so who knows?
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