Since the dawn of time, people have always had dogs by their side. Loyal as can be, dogs exhibit high levels of faithfulness. But, this level of loyalty is a trait only certain animals have.

So, how do you know which animals are loyal? To answer that, we’d have to answer what it means for an animal to be loyal.

When it comes to animals, loyalty is a sense of strong faithfulness and devotion to their guardian, regardless of the situation. This feeling can arise when an animal is being provided for or sheltered regularly. As you both learn about each other and set up a particular dynamic, they start to consider you family.

In need of a new emotional pet that would stay loyal to you? You’re in luck. Here are ten of the most loyal animals you can get!

List of Most Loyal Animals in the World

• Dogs
• Parrots
• Ducks
• Horses
• Cats
• Goats
• Dolphins
• Rats
• Cows
• Rabbits

Dogs

Scientific Name: Canis lupus familiaris
Type of Animal: Mammal

Dogs are not regarded as man’s best friend for nothing, and it’s no surprise to see them top this list. They have repeatedly shown themselves to be one of the most loyal animals anyone can have.

Canines were one of the few wild species to be domesticated by homo sapiens 23,000 years ago. The relationship between these two species has waxed stronger over the years.

Dogs’ loyalty can be traced as far as their ancestors—the wolves. They are social creatures who like to hunt, eat, sleep, and also socialize in a pack. This social structure changed when they were domesticated by humans, as they have now become our domestic companions!

Simple activities like taking a walk, throwing a frisbee, feeding, or even sitting next to them strengthen your relationship with them as they regard you as a pack leader. 

Thus, they would do anything to protect and please their alpha wolf, which is you in this case.

Although there are hundreds of dog breeds, the labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and Akitas are considered the most faithful species.

Parrots

Scientific Name: Psittaciformes
Type of Animal: Bird

As tail wagging is to dogs, skittish body movement is to parrots. Parrots are known to be one of the most loyal bird species. They have been used as messengers before technological advancements like cell phones came about.

Although many people question the loyalty of parrots and often conclude they cannot be loyal to humans. However, this is not true as parrots are great companions and can only reward you with loyalty if they are taken care of.

As there are different parrot species, there are also various characteristics, behaviors, and personalities. So, expecting the same level of loyalty from each parrot species is impossible.

Like dogs, parrots are also social animals that mate with one bird for life, making them monogamous. So, if your parrot has no mate, you are indeed viewed as a mate from its point of view and will relate, treat and reward you like a mate.

Parrot species like love birds, cockatiels, and budgies are known to be the most faithful and often grieve severely when separated from their owners.

Ducks

Scientific Name: Anatidae
Type of Animal: Bird

Like parrots, ducks are social bird species that are very expressive and build bonds similar to dogs. They tend to bond with their owners, and their expressive nature makes it very clear they love spending time with humans.

When people imprint on their ducks, they tend to have the highest form of loyalty as they are now entirely dependent on their imprinted human. 

When it comes to duck bonding, imprinting is a natural phenomenon that happens between baby animals (ducks) and their mothers or any other species (which can be you).

When a duck is born, it needs to be heavily dependent on its mother within its first few weeks of existence. Interactions at these stages cause them to develop a habitual trust for their said mother.

Duck owners will often represent a mother figure. They will always be the go-to person in any situation. In return, ducks show loyalty and will constantly provide room for social interaction.

Horses

Scientific Name: Equus caballus
Type of Animal: Mammal

Horses are also highly rated as one of the most loyal animals to ever exist.

Like dogs, horses have been used for domestic purposes like transporting heavy loads and traveling. They are also being incorporated into today’s sporting and entertainment events. 

According to research, horses possess excellent memories of people who have done them good at some point in their lives. The intelligence stretches as far as recalling human faces and the words they said. These beautiful creatures also possess the ability to solve strategies taught by their human companion.

Their tight bond with humans results from the genetically learned behavior of their ancestors. Also, they maintain lifelong relationships with their immediate horse families and temporarily interact with casual friends.

Research performed by Ethologist Sankey and her colleagues among 20 Anglo-Arabian horses housed in a stable in France for eight months further proved horses’ loyalty to human beings.

The training program included a 40hr+ interaction process with the horses, which included feeding, grooming, and medical care. The individual horses’ responses were documented.

In the end, horses trained without reinforcement or leashes tended to exhibit their wild nature by kicking and biting the researchers in the first few months and persisted slowly as time progressed. 

Reinforced horses fared better as they got used to the researchers’ presence and demanded more of it. As a result, a tight bond was formed.

Cats

Scientific Name: Felis catus
Type of Animal: Mammal

Many people believe that cats can never be loyal to their owners, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

These majestic feline pets are not only loyal animals but also care for you as a mother would do to a child. Unfortunately, this behavior has been wrongly interrupted by human beings.

Before feline domestication, cats were solitary animals. They are known to constantly fend for themselves, placing their importance, comfort, and existence first before any other object. Cats do not obey alphas nor possess strong loyalty to their pack and can readily desert them at will.

This trait can also be seen in domesticated cats of today—assume a dog’s loyalty to a submissive partner and that of the cat’s to a fierce partner who would always question your authority while providing you love.

In most cases, cats show several behaviors that point to their loyalty, including purring at you, wagging their tails, showing you their belly, staring, or even rubbing their cheeks against your body.

Do you know cats even show their loyalty by bringing you a mouse? Yes, cats see us as children rather than parents and assume we are unable to hunt for ourselves.

Therefore, they take matters to their delicate paws by bringing us dead meat as a sign of care. They also knead (that is, make biscuits) on us, a displaced behavior from their kittenhood to show they care.

Cats may not yell they are faithful to you with their behavior, but get attacked by a stray cat and witness the fierce protection your cat will display to protect their dearest human.

Goats

Scientific Name: Capra aegagrus hircus
Type of Animal: Mammal

Goats are rapidly gaining popularity as one of the most loyal pets anyone can get. Besides the herding purposes, goats can be kept as pets by humans as they can form close bonds.

The goat is a clever and docile animal and often gets depressed when isolated or left alone for a long time. Hence, it stays in herds.

These animals might not seem cuddly at first, but researchers have realized they can form long-term bonds that are stronger than dogs.

These clever beings stare intently at their owners when they require assistance or petting and often bleat joyfully at the arrival of their favorite human.

Fully domesticated goats away from herds will often need a form of emotional support and thus, will rely on you. They crave companionship and nudge you constantly when they need to play.

In addition, goats possess photographic memories and will never forget their favorite human.

Dolphins

Scientific Name: Delphinus
Type of Animal: Mammal

If dogs are man’s best friend on land, dolphins are man’s best friend in the sea. They are the only aquatic organisms to display human-like culture, a behavior unique to primates and humans.

Like humans, dolphins take care of their young ones and establish close relationships with other dolphin relatives and animal species.

According to science, dolphins’ behavior can be said to be empathic and cooperative as they live in pods (dolphin groups of 2 to 30). Like wolves on land, dolphins depend on socialization for defense, hunting, and mating.

When a dolphin is sick, injured, or dying, the pod of dolphins intensifies their social bonds to help hasten the recovery of the injured dolphin. They go as far as helping the injured dolphin breathe by bringing a bit up to the surface to collect oxygen.

Dolphins kept in captivity exhibit this same sociable behavior to their human companions. They develop a sense of strong loyalty to them.

There have been recorded cases of dolphins falling deeply in love with their human companion.

Rats

Scientific Name: Rattus
Type of Animal: Mammal

When you think of rats as a pet, do you imagine the cringe New York sewer rats that compete with New Yorkers or a rodent plagued city? Rats are more than bottom feeders; they are friendly and loyal animals when they are domesticated, and who wouldn’t want that?

Rats and mice are family-centered as they hold their relatives dearly. They are also sensitive to touch and communicate effectively with other rats. For instance, the frequency of their squeaks communicates different issues to other rats. 

Also, male rats woo females with deeply pitched squeaks or love songs, while baby rats squeal in delight when they are licked.

The rat is an emotional animal, and it can become highly attached to its owners. In fact, rats often suffer from withdrawal syndrome when away from their owners for a long time.

These rodents are incredibly empathic and will save other rats in danger by placing themselves as bait. If they exhibit these features to their fellow rats in the wild, imagine the undying loyalty they would have towards you?

Cows

Scientific Name: Bos taurus
Type of Animal: Mammal

If you ever meet a cow, be sure to be nice as they remember it forever. Cows are more than slaughterhouse animals. They are so much more.

These affectionate animals show love by gently leaning on their owners, a learned behavior that can be noticed in domesticated and wild cows.

Cows have great spatial memories and are very good at remembering events and recognizing faces. Many sanctuaries have reported that cows ran speedily to meet visitors they hadn’t seen for a long time.

They also nudge their heads to be petted or stroked and are known to chase away intruders near their human companions.

Cows choose to spend more time with their humans to strengthen their bond and repeatedly lick them as a way of calming you when they sense you feel disturbed.

Why not visit a farm sanctuary today to experience a human-cow relationship? You may just end up with a new pet.

Rabbits

Scientific Name: Oryctolagus cuniculus
Type of Animal: Mammal

These fluffy balls of fur sure know how to express concern for their owners. Rabbits are affectionate and social animals that enjoy spending time with their human companions.

Gaining a rabbit’s trust is relatively easy as long as you feed and provide shelter, and they repay you with their undying loyalty.

Their small nature makes their body language very difficult to understand. But behaviors like being skittish towards you, running, grooming you, circling your feet, sitting on your laps, and purring show they are very loyal to you.

Not sure which pet to adopt for your toddler? A rabbit is a perfect kid-friendly creature.

Final Thoughts 

Although there are millions of animal species globally, only a handful can be said to be loyal. Before an animal is considered to be faithful, their interaction and relation with human beings need to be relatively strong, close, and consistent over the course of time.

That said, ensure you understand how to take care of these loyal animals before you decide to adopt one.

Thank you for reading. If you liked this article, here’s a recommendation of another popular read: Most Anxious Animals