Dogs may need a little help from their human friends to get over the death of another dog, according to a new study.
A survey of dog owners in Italy reported that 86 percent of them saw negative changes in the behavior of a surviving dog after the death of a companion dog in the same household — among other things, the surviving dog typically sought more attention, ate less and played less for several months after the event.
But their owners can ease the grieving process by maintaining any routines dogs are used to and staying close to their surviving pets, said Dr. Federica Pirrone, a veterinary physiologist at the University of Milan and the lead author of the study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.
Dogs’ loyalties toward their dead owners is reflected in the true stories of Greatfriars Bobby — a Skye terrier in Scotland in the 19th century who guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years — and of Hachikō in Japan, an Akita dog who in the early 20th century waited each day for nine years outside the train station where his deceased owner had regularly returned from work. Both dogs are now famous and have statues built in their honor.
But it seems that dogs can also form attachments to other dogs and grieve for them in the same way.
More: Dogs grieve when a friend dies, study finds (nbcnews.com)
Tom Metcalfe 