Losing a pet is one of the worst feelings a pet owner can experience. When a beloved pet passes away, pet owners are usually the ones who grieve the most. But at least one dog has shown that even animals can grieve the loss of a friend.

Easton Dufur’s dog passes away

When Easton Dufur had to say goodbye to his dog Stitch, it was hard to deal with. At 13 years old, Stitch had been in Dufur’s family since he was in kindergarten. In addition to Dufur, there was another member of the family who also missed Stitch terribly: Dufur’s other dog Cookie.

Cookie is also affected by Stitch’s death

A few years younger than Stitch, Cookie seemed to have a great effect on the older dog, reinvigorating him and making him more active than he had been in years as she played with him. As for Stitch, he became something of a mentor to Cookie. Eventually, the two dogs grew very close.

“They loved each other very much,” Dufur told The Dodo. “Cookie would always egg him on so he would play with her, and they would take care of one another.”

The two dogs were the best of friends

One of the great things about the two was that Dufur could feed them both out of the same bowl. He did not have to worry about them fighting over who got to eat the majority of the food in their shared bowl. Cookie had learned from Stitch to only eat half of the food, leaving the other half for him.

Cookie is without Stitch for the first time

After Stitch passed away, Dufur worried about Cookie. She had never been without the older dog at her side. Dufur had no way of knowing how she would react to Stitch’s absence.

“This is Cookie’s first time alone,” Dufur wrote on Twitter. “So, since Stitch is gone, I’ve been feeding Cookie less food. Well before I went to bed, I wanted to check to see if she ate. And so, I did, and she still left half of her food there so Stitch can eat.”

Dufur noticed a change in Cookie as well, as she started to sleep more and more. She has also been acting mellower since her best friend’s passing. For their part, Dufur and his family’s tried to let Cookie know that they were there for her.

“We have been giving her so much love and attention,” Dufur said. “We are getting past the mourning.”

How you can help your dog cope with grief

Like a human, a dog can grieve for someone they had a relationship with. This is usually expressed by sleeping more and eating less. By being there for a grieving dog, you can let them know that everything will be OK. And while they might not understand where their friend has gone, hopefully, they can move past their grief and get back to some sense of normalcy in their life.

The video below talks about some ways you can help your pet with the grieving process.

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Source: Jay Lane

H/T: We Love Animals, The Dodo