Do dogs grieve?It is a question I have been asking myself when observing George since Maddie died. Generally the little chap is quieter than normal, less bouncy, less confident and certainly less "verbal",however , I think it would be easy to push the "human" trait of grief forward as an explanation, after all the emotive scene of George alone on his walks, without his constant companion sniffing at the things he is sniffing at remains one that pulls at your heart strings.
Does George actually miss Maddie?......hummm... I really think that the question is irrelevant, as I believe George's behaviour is really a result of the imbalance within the pack dynamic. The Welsh terriers are and always have been a close pair of their own. They walk together, they play together and they joust together. George has never been an active part of that...ever.
Because of his size and slowness compared to the others he and Maddie by default would walk together on every walk; because of their ability to accept the poultry both Scotties would be allowed free range in the field, whereas the Welsh would always be tethered.
With Maddie dying, his position in the pack does have a certain sense of isolation about it.
Chris especially has also changed the balance of the pack by showing George a little more attention than usual. Now I know just how easy this is to do and it may help Chris grieve for Maddie but I think it causes more issues between the dog pack as a whole. George has always been lowest in the pecking order and both William (who is wonderfully good natured) and Meg will just not allow that fact to be changed.
I think we do need to get George a companion of his own, but getting the right one will be, well, a bit of a challenge......hey ho..
Henny Says:
ReplyDeleteHi John, thanks for leaving a message on my blog- did you mean you're mad, I'm mad or SHE'S mad?? ;O)
Keep your pecker up xx
I don't know much about dogs so I'm not going to be much help. Our Humane Society will let you bring dogs in to see how they will react to a potential new pack member. Don't know if yours do that or not.
ReplyDeleteOr, if you go the breeder route, they might be able to tell which of their dogs would fit your pack best.
interesting thoughts. I have been thinking about getting Molly a friend.....didn't want to get another beagle, but maybe following what you said a beagle would be the best companion for her?
ReplyDeleteGill in Canada
I wondered about the grief of dogs when we had Java put down. Lilly has always been the pack leader (since she came here at 2 months old) and Java graciously gave up to her. I do think that sometime you will get another Scottie for your pack - and you'll know when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteLynn
I often wonder what my dog would say if she could talk. It's only too easy to project one's own feelings onto animals, but I'm sure your George must miss his companion.
ReplyDeleteHello John, Poor George...I think it's a good idea to get the little fellow a companion of his own. I don't know if you get the American TV show Dog Whisperer but one of the shows was about finding the right companion for an older dog. Caesar brought different dogs to the home and watched the behaviour of both dogs. He chose the one who was submissive. It was very interesting. Anyway...good luck in what ever you decide to do! Have a wonderful day....Maura :)
ReplyDeleteJohn I forgot to mention that the dog they were finding the companion for had lost his buddy and the buddy had been younger and more active and assertive of the two.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I don't think that dogs grieve, I know that they do. I have had senior dogs that I thought were not connected to anyone in the pack, then after they left us, I realized that they were. While they may not interact with one another, on a level that may or may not be visiable to us, they are companions for one another--Its like two people sitting on a porch not saying anything to the other but they enjoy the company of the other nonetheless, and when one leaves, they are missed because they are alone...George may be feeling alone, and I'm glad that you and Chris are recognizing it and filling an empty spot he may be feeling in his life.
ReplyDeleteJack is very attached to his Daddy, he mourns, every time that Daddy takes an out of town job. Jill helped the grief until she got bigger and more aggressive. Now he is back to grieving when Daddy is gone.
ReplyDeleteI know that when Rough died, DC the cat, although they never "played" together, became sullen and withdrawn. I know she missed the fact that he wasn't there to sunbathe with her and "touch noses".
I'm sure George is grieving, poor baby. You are, dogs can be very sensitive too.
XX
When we lost MoJo a few months ago even the cats grieved. She had lived inside for about 6 months before she passed(all our other dogs are outside dogs) but still I could tell that even though we didn't think she was a true member of their pack anymore, they all missed her and knew that she had died.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you can get George a kitten? The cat that used to live with MoJo eventually "relocated" her affection to one of our other dogs, although she kept looking for MoJo for weeks after she died.
I think dogs do grieve, for sure. Not only for other dogs but for their humans.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure of the emotion thing in dogs or any other animal. What I do know is that I took some chicks from a hen the other day (for their own safety, of course) and put them in a breeder box not too far away. They peeped loudly, and the hen clucked nervously with her tail feathers fanned out. Perhaps the motherly instinct to take care of her own bloodline.
ReplyDeleteNow, Max, my poodle, follows me to the door when I leave for work in the mornings. As I am backing out of the driveway, I can see he's raced to the front of the house and has his nose pressed to the living room window, as if to ask why I was not taking him along. He howls in delight when I return from home. Mike asks him "Where's daddy Randy?" and he dances in looks toward the door and dances in circles when I don't enter. If I sit on the sofa, he's usually quick to jump in my lap, and often naps with me when I do. Mike gets out of bed before me and he stays in bed with me. If I get up first, he's up with me. I may be the alpha dog to him, but I prefer to believe that there is mutual care for one another, and either of us would be sad without the other. His saddness may be shorter lived than mine, and he'd soon forget me. But I have to believe that there's some sort of sense of lost affection....at least with dogs.
~Randy
Yes, poor George! probably quite can't figure out what's going on......why things are different.
ReplyDeleteAnother one? Maybe? George would be happy.
Our little Jack Russell pined terribly when her comapnion, a much older dog died, we went ahead and got another dog and they ended up hating each other with a vengeance ;iterally for the rest of their lives. A while later we took pity on yet another dog who desperately needed a home and she lived with him very happily for a decade or so until he sadly died last year. Again she pined dreadfully and we made the decision to get her another companion all was well for months then for no apparent reason she suddenly attacked him and now he is terrified of her and they can't be left alone together... I really don't envy you...
ReplyDeleteMy lady said that George has a lovely profile. She would love to have a Scotty dog...that said...I think with your terrier experience you can imagine what would happen if she tried to introduce another terrier to Thistle (that jerk). Terriers can be so difficult. My lady told me that no matter how "terriorist-like" Thistle is she loves him and that is why she has that breed. Sigh. I think she should stick to goats. Maybe wee George would like a goat of his own? Tee hee.
ReplyDeleteThat is sooo sad. What a beautiful expression he has. We adopted a dog from a shelter. Her 66 yr. old owner went into the hospital and died unexpectedly. I just cry thinking about this poor dog waiting...Sorry to bring you down. At least she is DEARLY loved again.
ReplyDeleteOh! I believe they definitely grieve. When we had to have Miss Socks put down (advanced adeno-carcinoma) Denny-the-Dog (who she had adopted nd house-trained) definitely moped around afterwards and was continually checking out her 'usual spots' to see if she was in any of them. He avoided her bed and her outside doghouse (which she used to love on hot summer days).
ReplyDeleteGradually, tho', we noticed a change and he assumed many of the little tasks and rights that had been previously been hers alone - almost a tho' he accepted she was gone and he knew that he had a role in the household to step-up and into! He had to fill the vacancy her departure created in household routine.
http://www.petpublishing.com/dogken/articles/topdog.shtml
ReplyDeleteGood advice here. I think dogs do grieve. Dogs will adjust given time to sort thing out among themselves.
He sure is missing his pal. Although we don't like to admit it, we're a bit sad every time we get separated so we can imagine what the little fellah is going through. A little mate for him is a grand idea so just throw yourselves into it, it will be the best decision you've ever made!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by The Scottie Chronicles. So, We thought We'd drop by your place. Oh my. Dogs do grieve. Just like people. George is figuring out where and how he fits in without his best friend. It'll take time of course, but he'll adjust. Our hearts go out to all of you.
ReplyDeleteRoo Roo, Stuart
I know my dog, Heidi, grieved for her Barks after he was killed by a car.
ReplyDeleteGeorge certainly looks like he's grieving. Then again dogs usually look reflective to me.
ReplyDeleteActually, I do believe animals grieve. Just look at elephants. They bury their dead and come back to visit the site. Or something like that.
You love your animals. I love it!