From CNET.com…
The loss of a pet can be devastating for an owner, but a new study suggests dogs also mourn the deaths of other household canines.
An international team of animal behaviorists surveyed 426 dog owners in Italy, all of whom owned at least two dogs — one of which died while the other was still alive.
Nearly 90% reported a change in the surviving canine’s behavior, according to the research, published last week in the journal Scientific Reports.
Lead author Stefania Uccheddu, a veterinarian at San Marco Veterinary Clinic in Veggiano, Italy, told CNET the most common behaviors reported were increased attention-seeking and less interest in food and play. In some cases, the change lasted a few months. In others, it continued for years.
Asked whether the owners were perhaps projecting their own grief onto their pets, Uccheddu said her team included psychologists who worked to separate the owner’s feelings from the change in their dog’s behavior.
