Other Household Pets May Be Mourned by ogs

According to a poll, grieving dogs ate less, slept more, and sought more attention from their human companions after the death of a furry friend.

According to a poll, approximately 90% of dogs that had another canine companion die in the same residence showed signs of mourning. Dogs became less playful and more wary in the months following the loss of their pal. According to Clare Wilson of New Scientist, they also had smaller appetites and desired more attention from their masters.

According to Nicola Davis of the Guardian, dogs who had a friendly relationship and shared food with the deceased showed more signs of grieving. The findings was published in Scientific Reports last week.

Dogs are highly emotional animals who form strong ties with their known group members. This means that if one of them dies, they may be extremely sad, and efforts should be taken to help them cope with their grief According to the Guardian, research author Federica Pirrone, an animal behavior expert at the University of Milan,

Dolphins, giant apes, elephants, and birds are among the species that grieve. The researchers state in the report that these animals have been recorded participating in death rites and appear to mourn by touching and inspecting the deceased individual's body. Mother elephants, for example, would guard their still-born offspring for days. They will also move slowly and quietly in a melancholy manner, hanging their head and ears.

Despite stories of owners watching their dogs crying, it was not documented or investigated until recently among domesticated dogs. According to New Scientist, researchers polled 426 adults who had at least two dogs and had lost one of them for the study. According to the Guardian, study participants were invited to fill out an online questionnaire regarding their surviving dog's behavior and emotions after their companion died. The individuals were also questioned about their personal behavioral and emotional changes.

According to Vice's Becky Ferreira, almost 86 percent of owners reported that their remaining dogs showed changes in behavior after the death of a companion, and the alterations lasted between two and six months. Dogs who are still alive are said to play less, eat less, sleep more, and want more attention from their owners. Pets of owners who were more deeply affected by the pet's death, on the other hand, were more negatively affected by the occurrence, suggesting that they may be reacting to their human's behavior as well, according to New Scientist.

According to New Scientist, dogs have become very sensitive to human expressive gestures and facial expressions. A dog and its caregiver form an emotional bond.

While the dogs' behavior may be due to the loss of an attachment figure who provided protection and security, the team is unable to determine if the canines were reacting to the death or the loss of an affiliation, according to Pirrone. According to social anthropologist Samantha Hurn of the University of Exeter, who was not involved with the study, because the research depends on self-reported data, the study may have some limitations influenced by how owners understood their dogs' activities.

According to Vice, Pirrone and her colleagues utilized statistical analysis to determine if owners were actually experiencing their pets in a grief-like state and cross-referenced the reports to make sure there were no anomalies in the data. According to Pirrone, the level of attachment between the owner and the dog did not appear to alter the results, indicating that the data was not biased by owners projecting grief onto their pets.

While the data suggests that pets experience loss, the team concluded that further research is needed to prove grief and mourning behaviors in dogs, according to Vice.

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