For decades, scientists couldn’t agree if dogs truly mourn. Were the behaviors we saw just reactions to changed routine? Or something deeper?
In February 2022, a landmark study finally gave us the answer.
🔬 THE STUDY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Federica Pirrone and colleagues at the University of Milan surveyed 426 Italian dog owners whose pet dog had died while they also owned at least one other dog. Phys.org
The findings were published in Scientific Reports — one of the most respected scientific journals in the world. nih
What they found was undeniable.
💔 86% OF DOGS GRIEVE
86% of owners observed negative changes in the surviving dog’s behavior after the death of their other dog. Phys.org
The changes included:
🐾 Playing and eating less
🐾 Sleeping more
🐾 Becoming more fearful
🐾 Whining and barking more often
🐾 Searching the home for their missing friend HealthDay + 3
These weren’t small changes. They lasted for months.
🧠 WHY DOGS FEEL DEEPER THAN WE THOUGHT
Patricia McConnell, a certified applied animal behaviorist, reviewed the findings:
“I’m gratified that the study was done, because it frankly seems impossible that dogs wouldn’t grieve. They are highly social, some of the most social mammals in the world. And as mammals, they share much of the same neurobiology and physiology that drives our own emotions.” HealthDay
In simpler words: Dogs have the same brain chemistry for love and loss that we do.
💧 IT’S NOT JUST THE LOSS
The study revealed something even more heartbreaking.
Having had a friendly relationship with the deceased dog and having a grieving owner made negative behavioral changes and fearfulness more likely in surviving dogs. Phys.org
This means:
❤️ Dogs grieve harder when their friend was beloved
❤️ Dogs feel your grief too — and it makes their grief worse
❤️ When you cry, they suffer with you
🐾 DO DOGS UNDERSTAND DEATH?
According to research from USA Dog Behavior:
A dog’s primary sense is smell. When a dog dies, the scent changes dramatically. If the surviving dog is allowed to sniff the body, many appear calmer afterward. This isn’t closure in a human sense, but it likely helps the dog recognize that: The companion is no longer responsive. The smell has changed. Something is different. Usadogbehavior
But here’s what breaks hearts:
Dogs who have lost a companion may search their home for a period of time looking for their missing friend. Usadogbehavior
They don’t fully understand. They keep waiting. They keep hoping.
🌍 WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
If you have multiple pets, and one passes:
- Let your surviving dog see and smell their friend — it helps them process
- Maintain their routine — familiarity helps healing
- Give them extra love — they need it more than ever
- Watch for signs — appetite loss, lethargy, withdrawal
- Be patient — grief can last months
💭 THE TRUTH WE OWE THEM
For too long, we told ourselves dogs were “just animals” who didn’t really feel things deeply.
We were wrong.
They love us with everything they have. They love each other with everything they have. And when one of them is gone — they hurt the same way we do.
They just can’t tell us with words.
📚 Source: Pirrone, F. et al. “Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) grieve over the loss of a conspecific.” Scientific Reports (2022). Published in Nature.
❤️ Hug your dog today. They feel everything.
🐺 Follow our page for more scientific truths about the animals who share our lives.
💬 Drop a ❤️ in the comments if your dog has grieved someone.
