The loss of a pet doesn’t just come as a hard blow to humans. Believe it or not, animals can also grieve when faced with such a loss.

Lester Aradi and his wife Diane were surprised about the behavior of their rescue Golden Retriever after one of his friends died.

The couple was taking care of a St. Bernard-mastiff mix they named Major.

When he came into their care, the dog was suffering from severe injuries that left him unable to walk. After spending some time with Tricycle, the Golden Retriever, they became friends.

Eventually, Major died.

The couple had to bury him in a plot they made on their farm. Everything seemed normal back then. In fact, there was nothing unusual with Tricycle’s behavior back then.

Lester and Diane were left speechless after seeing the dog the next day.

They went out to the yard and found Tricycle lying on his friend’s grave. He was clearly heartbroken so they decided to observe him closely.

The dog would come into the house. However, each time he’s out, he’d lay on Major’s grave. The behavior continued for three days.

Tricycle has a lot of friends at home.

He’s living with different animals with special needs. He’s friends with horses, llamas, dogs, and alpacas. Each time one of his friends dies, he mourns the loss.

The sweet dog isn’t the only one who grieves whenever one of the animals crosses the rainbow.

The couple also came out with an idea to remember the precious animals. For smaller animals, they marked their graves with a circle of stones. For the bigger ones, they plant fruit trees.

They believe that they’ll work to make sure the circle of life continues. Once the trees bear fruits, visitors can pick some.

On dogs grieving the loss of other pets

There’s no solid evidence that can prove that animals have the capacity to completely understand the finality that comes with the death of a pet. However, they tend to notice when a friend’s not around anymore.

Animals, particularly dogs and cats, react to such loss in different ways. They may or may not be the same as how humans grieve. However, in general, the following signs may show that a pet is struggling with loss and grief:

• Hiding or avoiding family members
• Changes in appetite
• Whining
• Howling
• Pacing or searching for the lost pet
• Changes in bathroom habits
• Showing signs of separation anxiety

Helping grieving pets cope

No matter how tempting it is to comfort your pet while it’s showing grief, don’t do it. If you pet or soothe them while they are doing unwanted behaviors, it’ll just reinforce them.

Even though it’s hard, it’s still best if you just ignore the behavior. Choose the times you give your pet tons of reassurance and attention. However, it’s equally important that you don’t lose patience. Try to stay positive and don’t punish or yell at your pets for their actions.

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Source: Facebook-Tricycle’s Travels, Hill’s Pets