Doctor Neilanjan Nandi who appeared in an interview with the New York Times recently, said it's not a wives' tale about the health risks associated with allowing our pet dogs, or any dogs for that matter get up close and personal with your gob.
In fact, it is potentially one of the most unhealthy things you can do with your four-legged buddy. The doctor - who's an assistant professor of medicine at the Drexel University of Medicine in the US - says that animals' mouths are a breeding ground for bacterial danger.
'[Dogs' saliva is] an enormous oral microbiome of bacteria, viruses and yeast,' he said.
In lay mans' terms, dogs' saliva contains lots of bacteria to help clean and heal any wounds they may have sustained on their bodies. It's a physiological throwback to the time when our domesticated house pets would've lived in packs, hunted, fought and endured lots of nicks and scratches.
Because of these properties in their mouths and the zoonotic nature of the bacteria - meaning it can be spread from animals to humans - it's probably best if you keep them away from any moist openings to your body like your mouth and eyes. If your looking for kisses, try sticking to that special someone!