My dog’s playmate has been sick and hasn’t been able to play with him. I don’t feel like asking the owner how her dog is doing, but I’m preparing for the worse. Then, I thought, if my dog’s playmate does go to doggy heaven, will my dog know and get sad?
Quite a heavy question, I know. Sorry if this made you sad.
“Dogs don’t necessarily know that another dog in their life has died, but they know that individual is missing,” says Dr. Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Your dog simply knows that their friend is no longer present and may exhibit one or more symptoms of grief including:
Withdrawal from people and other pets.
A lack of appetite.
Lethargic behavior and sleeping more than usual.
Unusually aggressive or destructive behaviors.
Inappropriate elimination within the home.
Calling out or vocalizing in an unusual way for the dog who has passed away.
Searching for the companion dog within the home and other places frequented by the other dog.
Becoming very clingy to the owner and following the owner around.
– everything from this article – https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/do-dogs-grieve-other-dogs/ (it’s just better to listen to a reliable source about this since it involves the wellbeing of an animal)
Regards.