Have a seat junior

Dogs are a special case because they evolved alongside us and we've had a huge influence in that. For one, they are more vocal than wolves. Their eyebrows have a muscle that allows dogs to make "puppy eyes" which is a way to get our attention. Their "smiles" is probably another thing they do more to communicate with humans than out of a need. Dogs and owners will make more eye contact, even though eye contact in canines is supposed to be a dominance thing.

For now, we can't say dogs are "smiling" or "being sad" when they use those expressions, but they are imitating some of our own expressions and getting positive reactions out of us by doing those things. Basically, they're manipulative little buggers and we love them for it.

/r/instant_regret Thread Parent Link - i.imgur.com