empathy in dogs

My dogs is mostly the first and often the only one of my family members
to notice that I'm upset. In my opinion, she possesses more empathy than
any human being I know. She tries to lick away my tears and to cheer me up when
I'm crying.

I don't think that she understand why I'm sad but I'm convinced that she can
smell sorrow and pain and that she feels the urge to help (solidarity).