Do Dogs Grieve Other Dogs?

Anyone who has ever lost a dog knows it’s a heartbreaking experience. When a dog dies, you don’t just lose a pet, you lose a companion. You lose a witness to your life, a keeper of your secrets, the one who catches both crumbs and tears. Those who aren’t dog people may not get it, but those of us who’ve been lucky enough to love and be loved back by a dog know the truth: Saying goodbye is brutal. And this grief is only compounded when you have another dog at home also navigating the loss. But is it as hard for them as we imagine? Do dogs grieve other dogs, really?

Very recently, my family’s beloved dog Jaws died, leaving us all wrecked. After more than a decade with him, figuring out what this next chapter looks like has been... disorienting. Sometimes, I wake up at 2 in the morning still so convinced I hear him barking to be let out (he truly relished a good middle-of-the-night piddle). I still instinctively go to step over the landing area of the stairwell where he’d curl up for hours on end. And it seems as though our other dog, Mako, is struggling to adjust, too.

Whenever we let her into the yard, she runs the entire perimeter looking for Jaws. When she comes back inside, she sits at the door and waits, glancing at us and then back outside as though wondering why Jaws isn’t barging back in. Sometimes, I hear her whine at night, and in the last few days, she’s taken to sleeping in his favorite spot.

It’s easy to conflate Mako’s behavior with grief. I was curious how aware dogs actually are when another dog dies — and whether they genuinely have an emotional response to that versus how much emotional transference is taking place on my part. So, I reached out to animal experts for more insight. Here’s what they told me.

Do dogs “grieve”?

“Animals can and do grieve. We see it in the wild often — elephants, dolphins, and wolves, just to name a few. When any family member, human or animal, dies or becomes ill, everyone is aware of it. In fact, dogs’ incredible sense of smell likely makes them aware of changes before we are,” explains Kate LaSala, companion animal death doula and certified trainer.

A dog’s response to the passing of another dog can be heightened or exacerbated, says LaSala, if the dog wasn’t able to be present for the death. “This is one reason I recommend at-home euthanasia,” she says. “Dogs understand death, but they don’t understand disappearance. So, if a companion is taken to the vet’s office to be euthanized and the resident pets don’t have a chance to see and smell the body, they’re left searching for their housemate.”

All of this certainly seems to align with our experience... but could I also be interpreting Mako’s behavior as an emotional response when it’s something else? Definitely a possibility, according to LaSala.

She elaborates, “It's important to note there’s very little research on this topic, and we may be anthropomorphizing a bit. Dogs are also very attuned to routines and our own emotions, so what we label grief in dogs may be the changes in the household that occur when a pet dies. The humans are upset and emotional from the loss, so routines often change, and these things can be upsetting for the remaining dog and may manifest as looking like grief.”

What are some signs your dog is “grieving” or struggling to adjust?

There’s no set formula for what canine grief might look like, says Dog Savvy’s lead dog trainer and behavior consultant, Alexandra Bassett: “Just like people, dogs who are grieving may cope with the loss differently.”

Still, she says the following symptoms are generally indicators:

• Loss of appetite or interest in doing things they normally do
• Acting withdrawn or lethargic
• Searching for their friend around the home or waiting by doors for them to return
• Out-of-character vocalizations like increased whining or barking

If your dog exhibits these behaviors after the passing of another pet, they probably need — just like you do — grace to get used to their new reality. “If a dog seems like they are grieving, they may need some time and space to get better, or they may benefit from extra attention and activities like going on long walks, hikes, or social interactions with other dogs,” Bassett says.

She does note that “it depends on the dog” and that if your dog’s grief seems severe or prolonged (lasting more than a few weeks), “it may be helpful to consult a professional trainer or veterinarian for support.”

How else can I support my dog during this time?

If you want to learn more so you can (hopefully) help your pet during this transition, LaSala recommends picking up the books How Animals Grieve by Barbara King and Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death by Susana Monsó.

Obviously, there’s also a lot to be said about the healing power of just spending time with your other pup after this kind of loss — healing for humans, at least. And while we may never know exactly what our dogs are thinking when they lose a dog that lived in the same house, we can assume they won’t turn down a few extra snuggles.