The study is published in the journal Society & Animals.
Two hundred and fifty-six undergraduates at a major Northeastern University were asked to indicate their degree of empathy for a brutally beaten human adult or child versus an adult dog or puppy, as described in a fictitious news report.
The result?
The study participants "found more empathy for victims who are human children, puppies, and fully-grown dogs than for victims who are adult humans."
The other significant finding was that age makes a difference for empathy in humans, but that's not the case when it comes to dogs.
Female participants were significantly more empathetic toward all victims than were their male counterparts.