Does your dog look sad even though it shouldn't really be?

Anthropomorphism

Like this little guy?

Or any of these?

If I had a sad looking dog he’d get fat because I’d stuff him with treats trying to make him happy.

She used to before we adopted her.

The name Basset Hound comes immediately to mind.

Perhaps you are sad @ZEPHYRA and projecting onto your dog? If so, here’s a big hug!

You can’t tell how a dog is feeling by his facial expression. Instead watch his tail. He will let you know if he is sad.

My dog is part hunting dog, he has melting brown eyes in a gray and black face and just judged on human facial expression he would be said to look sad. But he is one of the happiest dogs I know. He even wags his tail in his sleep!

@Cruiser Ahhhh. What a DARLING little puppy!

When we got Dakota she was already 2 years old and hadn’t been in the best environment. The guy who gave her to us had bought her, and tried and tried to train her to be a vicious guard dog. She is too gentle and intelligent for that and it really stressed her out. He deemed her to be a “failure” and just gave her to us. She went from an 8 X 10 concrete and wire kennel to the lake and sleeping in a water bed. That didn’t exactly help at first! She was kind of dazed and confused for the first couple of days.
But then, this light slowly started coming into her eyes and her whole expression changed.
Yes, I believe you can see worry, fear and stress in a dog’s expression. I can see when she’s being mischievous toward our other dog, getting ready to tease her!

Oh, wait. That wasn’t exactly the question. Well, St. Bernards tend to look a little depressed because their faces droop.

Only when I put him out when I leave. So I guess he does, technically, have a reason to be sad.

@gailcalled You are so right. People do this all the time. They think their cat is coming to greet them because he loves them (not really, he just wants to see if you will feed him). And the cat sleeps on your feet because he loves you (no, he likes your body heat). My cat rubs his face all over mine (he wants to be scratched). Yes, it’s fun to enjoy your pets, but if you could see into their brains, you would probably only see the pursuit of basic needs.

I agree about cats, @Skaggfacemutt. However, I firmly believe dogs are a different story. When Rick is packing his bags for an overnight stay, Dakota sulks on her bed in the corner of the bedroom. She doesn’t snap out of it till he comes home. She is obviously glad to see him.
She does the same thing when I leave.