Those of you with multiple dogs, how do they react when one dies?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Those of you with multiple dogs, how do they react when one dies?

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:43:53 PM EDT

Those of you with multiple dogs, how do they react when one dies?
One of my parent's dogs just died unexpectedly .....may have run through the underground electric fence and been hit .
Just wondering how the other dog of theirs is going to take it
I took my dog over there to play with the others over the weekend and they had a blast running around playing......oh well

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:47:23 PM EDT

[#1]

I had an Elkhound and a Husky. We got the Husky when the Elkie was five. When the Elkie died (at 16) my Husky was in full on mourning. I really don't think he ever got over losing his buddy. Although, I didn't either.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:50:10 PM EDT

[#2]

They mourn no doubt about it.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:50:12 PM EDT

[#3]

We recently lost one of our two Mastiff’s.
The male died leaving the female who is about 5.

We thought she would be devastated.
Quite the opposite. She loves being the only dog in the house and King Shit!

Emory

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Honest Men Fear Neither The Light Nor The Dark

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:50:17 PM EDT

[#4]

I had two labs from the time they were puppies. The two were inseparable. When the female died the male was never the same. We could tell that he was very upset. He died five weeks after the female died. I miss those two dogs.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:50:17 PM EDT

[#5]

My Dad has always had two labs. When the oldest died, the young one got very depressed. Dropped 25 pounds, wouldn't play fetch, slept a lot. It took a lot for us to get her to play(which helped us get through his passing) but she never regained the weight.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:52:14 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

I had two labs from the time they were puppies. The two were inseparable. When the female died the male was never the same. We could tell that he was very upset. He died five weeks after the female died. I miss those two dogs.

Kinda like an old couple when the wife dies, the husband soon follows.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:53:53 PM EDT

[#7]

All the above plus always searching and thinking the other dog will come back.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:54:17 PM EDT

[#8]

A rottie I had actually buried a poodle we had that died, I looked all over for that damn dog, it was around 14 yo

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:54:29 PM EDT

[#9]

They definitely mourn.

A new puppy will really brighten the surviving dog up, though.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:57:14 PM EDT

[#10]

A lady friend of mine had two Siberian Husky's, one male one female both fourteen years old.
The male went down to health issues, the female was "emotionally" lost and just gave up a couple of months later.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:57:32 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I had two labs from the time they were puppies. The two were inseparable. When the female died the male was never the same. We could tell that he was very upset. He died five weeks after the female died. I miss those two dogs.

Kinda like an old couple when the wife dies, the husband soon follows.

That's exactly how we described it. When my grandma passed we inherited her two dogs, but one got hit soon after she died. The other one was sad, but soldiered on and lived for a few years with us and thrived.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:58:13 PM EDT

[#12]

When the cairn in my avatar passed, we buried him in the back yard. The younger one tried to dig him up. We put a flat stone over the grave and he would lay on it. He was very quiet until we got a new pup.

ETA Both of the two cairns we have will mope if they are away from each other. If one of them has a vet appointment and is away for the day, the other will pout all day. The joy they have when reunited is really funny. You'd think they hadn't seen each other for a year and it's usually about 8 hours.

Posted: 11/20/2012 6:58:52 PM EDT

[#13]

A lot depends on the breed and the situation surrounding their lives together. Some morn, even to death, others are just glad to be free from the other. You'll just have to wait and see.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:00:21 PM EDT

[#14]

They are losing a pack mate and in the case of families with two or three dogs they can be very mournful.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:02:21 PM EDT

[#15]

My two dogs are ruled by petty jealousies of each other. If one of them dies, I'm going to assume that the other one put a hit on them.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:07:08 PM EDT

[#16]

When we lost Zeek, Bear would sit on the porch looking back & forth as if he was looking for Zeek.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:10:26 PM EDT

[#17]

we had 4 goldens, father mother, son, and daughter. when the dad died the mom laid on his grave for 4 days and 3 nights, at the end of the 4th day she walked over to my office and barked for me to let her in and took her husband's place at me feet under my desk. The son was shaken by his dad's death and lost weight and never wanted to play, the daughter tried to console her brother

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:11:43 PM EDT

[#18]

this thread makes me miss my boy of 15 years who past last year

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:16:39 PM EDT

[#19]

We had our border collie (female) for about 4 years when we got two male pups (from the same litter). She never accepted them, treated them like shit and they adored her. They were always trying to play with her, lay down next to her, etc. She would growl at them, snap at them, flip them ass over ears, etc. Till they got about double her size, then they'd just cow down and roll over when she snapped at them.

When she died she was in the pen with them. She crawled under her house and died. I came home from work, she didn't come to the fence with the boys to be talked to/petted. She had been dead long enough to be stiff. I pulled her out from under her dog house, carried her to the back lot and started digging a hole. My wife came home and helped me finish the burial job.

The boy, for several months, would turn and look towards her house if you asked them where Lassie was. Other than that they never seemed to be bothered by it much. However, she died in the pen, while they were in the pen, and I think they knew something was wrong and they watched me drag her out and bury her.

I think when the first one of them goes the other one will be just lost. They've been together for so many years and even though they sometimes don't get along they are always within a few feet of each other, awake or sleeping.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:18:56 PM EDT

[#20]

My brother had 2 adopted racing italian greyhounds, brother and sister. One died and the other don't seem to be as much as playful as before. Although she is 12 years old now.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:19:51 PM EDT

[#21]

We lost one of our Boxers the first of this year. The one we still have would go from room to room like he was trying to find her for weeks. He kept ringing the bell to go outside and would be excited then stop outside the door and look confused when she wasn't there. He was always looking around corners like he would find her there.

It was sad enough that we lost her but watching him made it worse. He doesn't do that stuff anymore but he hardly ever gets as excited as he used to when they would play.

Posted: 11/20/2012 7:21:51 PM EDT

[#22]

If the dog that passed is the dominant one the the other dog will seem lost in their ways.

We had our dominant dog pass and our other dog knew something was not right. He felt lost in the ranks. It wasn't till we got another dominant dog that he started to get back to normal.

Posted: 11/21/2012 2:03:17 AM EDT

[#23]

Had a lot of dogs (14) and three black labs at the moment. Cats come and go too and are part of the pack. (3 inside-outsides ATM and no litter boxes)

Best advice is get a new companion ASAP. Choose carefully and have your dog in on it to see the chemistry.

Occasionally the survivor will relish being the only one if you had only two. If not, get a companion!

Currently my situation when one dies will be that the survivors will enjoy less competition, but that's with 3 roughly the same age (middle age)

My dogs all came into the house separately so they don't have the bond that two pups would have growing up together.

Ours have also had a few other dogs come and go so they are used to it to some extent. We board friends dogs on vacations and have had some die of old age.

Dogs "get" old age. It's when one is a close companion and dies young/unexpectedly that the other mourns most.

This place is a zoo!

Plan ahead and say your goodby's early.

ARDog

Posted: 11/21/2012 2:08:43 AM EDT

[#24]

Like we do. Mourned, moped around. Did some searching around the house. Pretty heartbreaking.

Posted: 11/21/2012 2:40:52 AM EDT

[#25]

I had six dogs. Cosmo, my avatar, a Japanese Chin died suddenly last June. I came home without him and the other dogs spent the weekend searching for him, they knew something happened and he was gone. A few weeks later I showed up with a new puppy very similar to him, and a female rescue Chin. Now they seem to have gotten over the loss, they have a couple new friends, and I now have seven dogs.

Posted: 11/21/2012 2:45:12 AM EDT

[#26]

Prob happy, more food for the others and more attention. I will never understand crazy dog owners. To me, my dog is a dog. Just an animal.

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:15:59 AM EDT

[#27]

both my mutts are the same age. I assume when one goes the other wouln't be far behind

I've heard from others that the surviving dog, if the 2 have been together for a long time, can lose the will to live.

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:20:30 AM EDT

[#28]

Our survivors have always wandered around looking fr their lost pal for a few days/weeks.

They don't really know anything other than something's not right and they don't like it.

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:22:58 AM EDT

[#29]

I had one golden for almost 11 years. We adopted 2 more
Golden's short notice in June. My golden of almost 11 years died in his sleep 27 Sep. One of
The new Golden's would not leave his side.Brought him a tennis ball
and left it by his mouth. Stayed by his side even after he was in the ground.
He simply would not leave the grave for over a day. Broke my heart.

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:24:08 AM EDT

[#30]

One of my parents' dogs died. The other one would mope around, and actually lay down in the corner of the bedroom. Not normal for her. She died a few weeks later.

They were both pretty old. But my parents said it seemed like the female dog just "gave up" after the first one died.

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:27:26 AM EDT

[#31]

Both these dogs were rescued dogs that had been abandoned on a family farm

They were both mutts and outside dogs, but were family none the less....

I'll probably go help bury the girl today down by the creek with the others that have previously passed on

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:41:08 AM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
Prob happy, more food for the others and more attention. I will never understand crazy dog owners. To me, my dog is a dog. Just an animal.

Why is it always the newb? Don't be that guy.

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:48:21 AM EDT

[#33]

Nearly the same as yours, they smelled her body.....didn't whimper, or cry that I can see, had cut some onions so my eyes were a bit watery/swollen.

I've had 2 go at my home, and other than smelling....they seem to go on. And dont' show much, if any emotion....other than they seemed overly excited to smell her body, and went back many times till they ignored her body.

But all of mine, were street strays that I took home, perhaps that may have something to do with it. Since I never had them since they were puppies.

Quoted:
Those of you with multiple dogs, how do they react when one dies?

One of my parent's dogs just died unexpectedly .....may have run through the underground electric fence and been hit .

Just wondering how the other dog of theirs is going to take it

I took my dog over there to play with the others over the weekend and they had a blast running around playing......oh well

Posted: 11/21/2012 3:49:47 AM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
We recently lost one of our two Mastiff’s.
The male died leaving the female who is about 5.

We thought she would be devastated.
Quite the opposite. She loves being the only dog in the house and King Shit!

Meh. Women!

We have three dogs (2 males, 1 female) and although one is getting very old, I anticipate they will also mourn for some time - based on how nervous they get when one of the pack is missing or out of the house.

Posted: 11/21/2012 4:25:05 AM EDT

[#35]

Do you think dogs have souls?

If reincarnation is real, I'd like to be an elephant. But not in Africa, them guys get killed way too often for their ivory.

Posted: 11/21/2012 4:28:25 AM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:
Do you think dogs have souls?

If reincarnation is real, I'd like to be an elephant. But not in Africa, them guys get killed way too often for their ivory.

As to if they have souls or not, don't know, but I always like this story.

Posted: 11/21/2012 4:33:55 AM EDT

[#37]

Interesting thread.

Did I make it in before the "dogs have no soul" crowd?

A guy I know had his two dogs out with him when he was cutting down trees on his property. One of the dogs was killed when it ran under a tree that was falling. The other dog ran to its side and started shaking and then fell over dead.

Posted: 11/21/2012 4:39:37 AM EDT

[#38]

My wife and I had two GSD's that were about 3 years apart. When the older one died, the younger one stopped eating and moped around alot. After about a week, we bought another GSD puppy and that snapped her out of it.

She passed last fall and the younger GSD had no reaction at all. He lived his whole life with her but did not get depressed, didnt stop eating....even wouldnt allow us to bring another dog in the house. He is perfectly fine

I guess we've seen two completely different reactions

Posted: 11/21/2012 4:41:17 AM EDT

[#39]

Had a lab for close to 13 yrs, my hunting buddy and companion. One of the best out there. We added a Frency to the pack, and she became very attached to the old guy. I was very concerned as I knew the lab had a tumor, so we bought another Frenchy. We had to put the lab down a few weeks ago, and the Frenchys were in the room. The oldest one with the tight bond laid her head on him and whined as they put him to sleep, very sad. She has been very depressed, and seems a little lost. I am very glad we have the new Frenchy to help things out.

In his prime-

Friday before we put him down-

Posted: 11/21/2012 4:43:53 AM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
Prob happy, more food for the others and more attention. I will never understand crazy dog owners. To me, my dog is a dog. Just an animal.

There are quite a few animals out there that mourn the passing of their kin/members of their group. From elephants to apes.

Posted: 11/21/2012 5:03:21 AM EDT

[#41]

I had to put down one of my parents JRT's back in March when my parents were out of town. She had a tumor rupture inside her stomach.

When I got back to my parents house from the vets, the other JRT was confused. She saw me leave with the other one, but came back without her. She kept looking around the house for her. Now when I go to my parents house, she is seemingly more playful. I think she likes that all the attention is focused on her. My parents were thinking about getting another dog, but I told them to wait and let Lily enjoy being the center of attention. She's 16 and deaf.

Posted: 11/21/2012 5:44:46 AM EDT

[#42]

I lost a brother to one of my 8 dogs at the time in August. The brother was lost for a couple weeks at least. Now I have 7. They are a pack but will hunt in groups of 2 or 3 if I free cast the. Kind of interesting how the social structure is among them.

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Those of you with multiple dogs, how do they react when one dies?

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