They do have an empathetic sense, I don't think there's any doubt about it.

Our border collie Jack knows how we're feeling and what we're thinking about doing even if we don't talk about it. Combination of body language, subliminal cues, I don't know, but he knows when we're worried, when we're particularly happy, when we're getting ready to go somewhere, whether we've decided to take him with us ... and acts accordingly.

Lannis