Do dogs ɢʀɪᴇᴠᴇ for their loved ones? Most people agree that they do. Dogs are very loyal and loving, and they grow attached to their human family members. There are many photos, videos, and stories of dogs refusing to leave their sɪᴄᴋ owner’s side while they are in the hospital or leave their ɢʀᴀᴠᴇs when they have ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ.
In some cases, ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ can be just as confusing and difficult for dogs as it is for humans to process. They don’t know what to do when their owner is gone. They just stick around, hoping they will come back to them. The dog is named Wiley and he is a ᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ, he’s lying on the ɢʀᴀᴠᴇ of the owner’s grandmother. The grandmother and the dog were very close and you can tell the dog is completely ᴅᴇᴠᴀsᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ by ʟᴏsɪɴɢ her. The dog was close to her and clearly misses her now that she has ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ.
He is very sympathetic toward humans, which may explain why he is taking this woman’s ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ so hard. A lot of people viewed and commented on the video, and many of them believe that the dog is indeed ɢʀɪᴇᴠɪɴɢ. One viewer said: “I believe your wolf is ɢʀɪᴇᴠɪɴɢ. Once science advances enough for humans to understand wolves and dogs better, I believe that it will prove dogs and wolves have the same complex emotions and bonds that humans have.” After getting some negative feedback from some viewers, Sarah updated the video description to say: “I may be anthropomorphizing his actions, but it’s how I’m choosing to deal with ʟᴏss, so deal with it.”
It is not uncommon for dogs to ɢʀɪᴇᴠᴇ the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ of a loved one. The signs of a ᴍᴏᴜʀɴɪɴɢ dog can range from subtle differences in mood to outright ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ. After ʟᴏsɪɴɢ a guardian, dogs may eat less, drink less and even voice their sadness with howls and whining cries. Some dogs will stop their typical playful behavior and display indications of fatigue and sleep more than usual. Negative body language will also betray the animal’s feelings as he moves more slowly and deliberately and shows less enthusiasm than before. Some dogs may even begin to look or camp out in places where their guardian spent a lot of time when living.
While it is best to let dogs ɢʀɪᴇᴠᴇ however they choose, there are a few things that can be done to help make the process easier for them. Just like people, dogs need to know that it’s OK to ɢʀɪᴇᴠᴇ but also that things will continue to go on as normal after a while. In most cases, the dog will ʀᴇᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ on his own if allowed the time necessary to overcome his ʟᴏss. Do not change how you treat the dog. Instead, reinforce the status quo so he sees that things are continuing as normal and sadness is not going to take over. To help the process along, involve the animal in more physical activity than normal so he is challenged to move on, and his ʙʀᴀɪɴ is forced to release the serotonin necessary to normal function.
This dog clearly had a close relationship with the woman who ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ and misses her. If is unclear if dogs understand what ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ really means, but they can understand other complex things in life. They bond with humans and are loyal to them. It makes sense that they would ɢʀɪᴇᴠᴇ over the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ of their family members.
We may never know what the dog is feeling. What we do know is that dogs are amazing pets and they are capable of giving back as much love as we give them. Hopefully, this poor dog finds some comfort and peace soon.
