Research. Dogs may grieve over the death of other dogs

28.02.2022

The work published in Scientific Reports, entitled Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) grieve over the loss of a conspecificwas conducted by the universities of Padua and Milan.

Although bereavement behaviors have been reported in some animal species, such as birds and elephants, it is unclear whether domestic dogs grieve over the death of a conspecific. The study interviewed over four hundred Italian pet owners who had owned at least two dogs, one of whom died while the other was still alive. Of these, 86% observed negative changes in their dogs’ behavior after the death of the other dog if the two dogs held a particularly friendly or even parent-child relationship. These animals were more attention-seeking, ate and played less, and were, in general, less active than usual.

The surviving dogs appeared more fearful after the conspecific's death possibly due to an independent emotional change instead of in reaction to the owner's emotional state. The level of fear was greater in the surviving dog whose owners demonstrated signs of suffering, anger, and psychological trauma following the death of their pet.

Ines Testoni, Director of the Master Death Studies & The End of Life at the University of Padua, underlines " We are used to thinking that animals do not have a conscience and do not have feelings, we assumed dogs could not understand the concept of death nor feel pain for loss. Our research shows that attachment bonds are established between caregiversand pets and that this can influence the behavior of the dog that survives the loss of the conspecific.