Footage of a German shepherd gazing forlornly at a picture of his dead Rottweiler friend has left dog lovers welling up online.
In a video shared to TikTok by pet owner Christin Vaughan, the German shepherd, who goes by the name of Grizzly, can be seen sat on a couch staring over at a picture frame containing an image of his old roommate Shadow, who passed away in February 2022.
The clip has been watched more than 10 million times online.
Grizzly appears to be mourning the loss of his pal, and while it’s difficult to know for definite what any dog is feeling, research suggests that our pets do mourn the loss of canine companions.
A 2022 study published in the scientific journal Nature saw 426 multiple-dog owners in Italy surveyed on how their canines react to the loss of another in the family. Many noticed a loss of energy and enthusiasm among the surviving dogs afterwards.
Veterinary scientist Federica Pirrone of the University of Milan, who led the research, wrote that the results “indicate that a dog may show grief-related behavioral and emotional patterns when a close conspecific dies, with aspects of the latter possibly related to the owner’s emotional status.”
Vaughan, creator of the viral post, certainly suffers when it comes to her pets. According to her TikTok bio, she has lost two dogs in recent months, with her pet Thor also dying.
Grizzly’s reaction to Shadow’s picture in the clip prompted an emotional outpouring from many on social media.
“You can see the pain,” Mitzyme1 wrote. “I’m so so sorry for your loss.” Youeattoilets, meanwhile, commented: “my dog was looking everywhere for my other dog after she died.”
One of the most-heartbreaking replies came from Kawaiikoko, who wrote, “when my old rott passed suddenly the boy started deteriorating quickly like he was trying to follow her.”
For others, it all proved too much. Wandastoess posted that she was “literally crying” while watching the video, with www.add1e also left “bawling” at the footage.
Other TikTokers, such as addie, just wanted to give Grizzly a great big hug and tell him it’s going to be fine. “I’m so sorry baby,” the user wrote. “Please give him so much love.”
It brought back similarly painful memories for darkskin0top, who posted: “my dog continues looking at the door for his brother to come back.. (his brother left in 2020..) he knows he’s gone just not… gone.”
Newsweek has contacted Christin Vaughan for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
The post German Shepherd Gazes at Picture of Rottweiler Friend Who Died: ‘Crying’ appeared first on Newsweek.
