First, let me say I love dogs. I grew up with dogs (one long-haired dachshund and one short-haired dachshund), and my family includes a dog now (a large husky lab mix). I loved the dogs I grew up with, and I love the dog I have now. Though maybe not as much as a growing number of Americans love their dogs.

According to a new study by researchers at the Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina, a growing percentage of dog owners “view their dog as a soulmate. The study’s authors defined a soulmate as someone “with whom one has a unique deep connection based on mutual understanding and acceptance.” Specifically, dog owners were given statements such as, “My dog is my main companion” and “My dog’s love is purer than most people’s love,” and then asked to rate how strongly they agreed with the statements on a scale of one to seven. Shockingly, 73% of pet owners had an average score of five or above.