It’s been exactly two years since Tia chose us at our local RSPCA. We had lost our previous recue dog, Breeze, 6 months previously, and German Shepherd Lesia pined. I did not believe that dogs grieved, but Lesia proved me wrong. Even though Breeze had not been well enough to join us on our long walks for quite a while, after we lost her, Lesia just plodded around the familiar routes – no running, no seeking out scents. It was just a matter of time and she will revive, I thought, but after 6 months we gave in and found her a companion. Tia just demands to play, and will not take “No” for an answer. She has a habit of pulling Lesia’s tail, and then running off with a mouthful of fur so that Lesia chases her. Earlier this week she did this and ran full speed into the back of my legs – 30kg of muscular momentum. My left leg is still painful. Within weeks of Tia arriving on the scene, Lesia seemed 2 years younger, and at almost 10 is active and lively, although slowing a little, and is definitely the boss, making it quite clear to Tia when she has had enough.
What a great pet portrait, and what a heartwarming story... so glad you like rescue dogs, too. We have two and I can't imagine how would survive without the other. But both are about 11 and a half years old, and one has had some health issues. Thanks for sharing your story! I hope more people will adopt dogs who need a loving home!
What a wonderful portrait of Tia. What a special girl!
I too wasn't sure about dogs grieving as I hadn't experienced it. When my male GSD died two years ago, my Border Collie (Skye) was quite ill for a while. My vet thought she might even have developed an ulcer. Since we already had two other younger dogs, getting another wasn't an option! Thankfully about a month later she seemed to have accepted her best mate was not returning, so she did the next best thing and asserted herself as the boss dog! The other two youngsters were quite okay with this
Or dog pined to when his lifelong mate died and after a while we got a new tiny dog full of affection and energy but McDuff totally ignored her for a year! When Milly died tragically 3 years later, McDuff aged 11 went downhill rapidly and died about a week later! He had a heart problem. My life with dogs ended but I just love hearing about yours!
@maggiemae Thanks for your comment - relationships within a pack including the human members) can be quite complicated, and sometimes even we dog owners aren't too sure what is going on.
I'm glad yours perked up once she had a companion - I'd heard a lot of tales about some dogs experiencing deep emotional attachments so it doesn't surprise me that much.
I too wasn't sure about dogs grieving as I hadn't experienced it. When my male GSD died two years ago, my Border Collie (Skye) was quite ill for a while. My vet thought she might even have developed an ulcer. Since we already had two other younger dogs, getting another wasn't an option! Thankfully about a month later she seemed to have accepted her best mate was not returning, so she did the next best thing and asserted herself as the boss dog! The other two youngsters were quite okay with this