According to this article animals DO have emotions, so I guess they are capable of loving us:-
“I studied animal behaviour, focusing on social communication in a wide range of species. Contrary to what many other scientists like to believe, I discovered through my work that animals have rich emotional lives. They feel joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger and love.
Here is some of what I have learned about animals? feelings, that made me reassess how we view and treat them.
GRATITUDE
In December 2005, a 50ft-long, 50-ton female humpback whale became caught in crab lines, the weight of which was making it difficult for her to keep her blow hole above the water.
A team of divers saved her and after being freed the whale nuzzled each of them and flapped around in what one whale expert said was a “rare and remarkable encounter”.
James Moskito, one of the rescuers, said: “It felt to me like she was thanking us, knowing she was free and that we had helped her. The whale stopped about a foot away from me, pushed me around a little bit and had some fun.”
He said that during the rescue, “when I was cutting the line going through the mouth, her eye was there winking at me, watching me. It was an epic moment in my life.”
EMPATHY
Ceann Lambert, who runs the Indiana Coyote Rescue Centre, told me that one morning she noticed two baby mice trying to get out of a deep sink in her garage. Seeing their growing exhaustion, Lambert put some water in a lid in the sink.
The livelier mouse went over to get a drink and on its way found a piece of food which it picked up and took back to the weaker mouse. Every time the weaker mouse tried to take a bite, the other moved the food gradually towards the water until finally the exhausted animal reached it.
Their strength renewed, both were then able to climb out using a board Lambert had placed in the sink.
ANGER
Animals become angry in the same way humans do. We share common neuro-chemicals, such as serotonin and testosterone, and brain structures, such as the hypothalamus that are important in the expression and feeling of anger, aggression and revenge.
It?s easy to identify anger and aggression, too. Even octopuses get angry. Their pearly white skin turns red when they are agitated. Birds can display tremendous anger.
Researcher Irene Pepperberg studied Alex, a clever grey parrot, for decades, and noted that when something happened that Alex didn?t like, he got very angry.
If he was fed a pellet of bird food rather than a cashew, which he preferred, he would narrow his eyes and puff up his feathers indicating his displeasure.
GRIEF
Gorillas have been know to hold wakes for dead friends, something that some zoos have formalised in a ceremony when one of their gorillas passes away.
Donna Fernandes, director of the Buffalo Zoo, in New York, tells the story of being at Boston?s Franklin Park Zoo during the wake for a female gorilla, Babs, who had died of cancer.
She describes seeing the gorilla?s long-time mate say goodbye: “He was howling and banging his chest.
“He picked up a piece of her favourite food, celery, and put it in her hand and tried to get her to wake up. I was weeping, it was so emotional.”
LOVE
Two malamutes (a breed of North Alaskan dog, often mistaken for huskies) called Tika and Kobuk had raised eight litters of pups and were enjoying their retirement in the home of a woman called Anne Bekoff.
She tells how Kobuk was charming, energetic and noisy. Tika could only eat her food if it was far away from Kobuk, and he would knock her out of the way if she tried to get out of the door first. Then a lump appeared on Tika?s leg which was diagnosed as a malignant tumour.
Kobuk became subdued and wouldn?t leave her side. When Tika?s leg was amputated Kobuk stopped shoving her around, becoming caring towards her.
HAPPINESS
Dolphins chuckle when they are happy. When wolves reunite, they run toward one another whining and smiling, their tails wagging. Upon meeting, they lick one another?s muzzles, roll over and flail their legs.
When elephants reunite, there is a raucous celebration – they flap their ears, spin about and emit a “greeting rumble”. If this behaviour does not signal unashamed jubilation then what is it – just exercising?
Animal behaviourist Jonathan Balcombe, who observed two fish crows sweeping their bills through each other?s feathers, said: “There was every indication they were good buddies.”
One researcher tells of watching a female chimpanzee give birth, after which the new mother?s closest chimp friend screamed and embraced two other chimps. The friend tended the mother and her offspring for several weeks.
KINDNESS
Watching elephants in the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya, I noticed one walked very slowly.
Elephant expert Iain Douglas-Hamilton told me the elephant, BabyL, had been crippled for years, but the other members of the herd never left her behind. They would walk a while, then stop to see where she was.
The elephants had nothing to gain by helping her as she could do little for them. The only conclusion was that their kindness and care was unconditional.”
Taken from The Emotional Lives Of Animals by Marc Bekoff,
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