Since Cooper passed away three weeks ago, our older dog Rudy has seemed fine. Eats, sleeps, plays. The first day, he seemed to go to the window a lot, like he was waiting for something. But since then, we haven't noticed anything weird. Today and yesterday, when I went home for lunch, he kept going to the stairs, looking at the door. I tried playing with him, but every time, he'd just go back to the stairs and look. Then he went down and just laid in front of the door. This is not something he normally does when we are home with him. It seems weird that after three weeks of no visible signs of mourning or looking for Coop, that he'd start looking now. Has this happened to anyone?

I haven't had any experience in this situation with dogs, but had Rudy been seperated from Cooper before for a little while? If so, maybe he thought Cooper was away somewhere, and now he is wondering why he hasn't come back yet? Maybe it's taken a little while for it to sink in and hit him?

I do hope he is okay.

Cheryl X

It took our cat, Niles, a few weeks to start mourning & missing his brother, Frasier. It confused me but I think they are ok with brief absences but then start wondering, you know? Is Rudy still eating & drinking? If so, he's probably just adjusting and confused. I hope that's all.
-Donna

He's been away from Cooper for brief times, like a weekend here or there. And once or twice for closer to a week but not often. He still seems to be eating and drinking and acting normal in the evenings. It's just at lunch I've noticed it. I'm afraid he links Cooper to me and thinks I am bringing him home, which is breaking my heart that I can't.

Dogs may be a lot like us in their grieving processes. At first, a lot of people, like me, go kind of numb and into a kind of denial, and then, like me, it finally hits us that they are truly, truly gone and are not coming back. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what Rudy is experiencing now. There's nothing to be done for it except to give him an extra amount of love.. I think he will adjust in time, especially if all his other habits are normal.

I'm so very sorry for your loss of Cooper, and for Rudy's loss too!

Hugs from Margi and Spiritwolf

Same thing at my house, the first few days, TBone seemed fine, now he sits on the mat by the door and when I am out, I come home to find him right on the corner stair which is right by the door. Sluggo had been hospitalized once and also out to vet appointments so I think the first week he thought he was coming back...now he knows something's not right. Last night he stared at me and gave me several dog blinks (we communicate alot that way) and I think he knows but he still sits on that mat by the door. It breaks my heart. But one thing I did do is I went and bought him one of those Kong toys, the ones where you hide the treats inside and they have to work at it to get the treat out. In all my years of having dogs I never got one of those. But it has kept him busy for hours and he is obsessed iwth it. When he gets all the treats out of it, he keeps it next to him in his bed. I think keeping his mind busy has really helped. Maybe if you try something like this or maybe do something special for him like go buy him a new bed, or some of his favorite treats, you know those expensive ones that we don't buy too often because of the price.
Hope that helps,
Tracey

Hi Tracey. It's been a few more weeks and Rudy seems to be ok. We've had a couple more instances where he seems to be waiting by the door. And the other day I think I made a big mistake. I'd decided it was time to put Coop's things in his memory box. Rudy came over and I let him smell Coopers clothes, without thinking. After that, for a little while, he was acting pretty weird. But I think he's ok. I don't want him to be sad at all but it makes me a little sad that he's not. They were so close I would've never imagined he'd not be depressed. I guess I should be thankful. He's been going on lots of walks and getting lots of bones. We get our new puppy this weekend, so I'm hoping he'll connect with her.