Do Greyhounds Feel Empathy Towards Each Other?

[mychip1]

I'll throw one in on their abiliy to feel empathy toward us....

 

My Jack died on June 12th of last year. My husband had very neatly taken all his stuffed animals and set them on a little bench-seat in the upstairs bathroom area.

 

Two weeks later, I made my trek south to bring home JJ and Dustin.

 

I got them some toys of their own....and a few of Jack's that were downstairs still appealed to them. They never touched the ones in the bathroom.

 

Then one evening, I was on the computer, looking at pictures of Jack....just sobbing. JJ came in to see me (as I believe they certainly understand tears) and then walked out. I didn't pay much attntion to where he went....About ten minutes later, I walked out into the hallway, and there was JJ surrounded by Jack's toys from the bench seat. He had taken them - obviously one by one - and put them in a big circle...and he was lying right in the middle.....Was it empathy.....a true understanding that I was sad....and a sense of what I was sad about...??

 

I don't know the answer...but I am not a big believer in coincidence.....so I think there is more to it.

[Trihounds]

I'll throw one in on their abiliy to feel empathy toward us....

 

My Jack died on June 12th of last year. My husband had very neatly taken all his stuffed animals and set them on a little bench-seat in the upstairs bathroom area.

 

Two weeks later, I made my trek south to bring home JJ and Dustin.

 

I got them some toys of their own....and a few of Jack's that were downstairs still appealed to them. They never touched the ones in the bathroom.

 

Then one evening, I was on the computer, looking at pictures of Jack....just sobbing. JJ came in to see me (as I believe they certainly understand tears) and then walked out. I didn't pay much attntion to where he went....About ten minutes later, I walked out into the hallway, and there was JJ surrounded by Jack's toys from the bench seat. He had taken them - obviously one by one - and put them in a big circle...and he was lying right in the middle.....Was it empathy.....a true understanding that I was sad....and a sense of what I was sad about...??

 

I don't know the answer...but I am not a big believer in coincidence.....so I think there is more to it.

 

 

 

WOW!

 

 

[3vagreys]

My little Echo has some issues with meeting other dogs. She has a routine that must be followed exactly or she seriously snarks at the other dog. My new friend had a fairly old hound who had cancer and was very nervous. When Echo met him, she didn't growl at him at all. She very gently walked beside him and let him lean on her. It was the cutest thing ever and it was obvious that she knew that he needed special care.

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

I'll throw one in on their abiliy to feel empathy toward us....

 

My Jack died on June 12th of last year. My husband had very neatly taken all his stuffed animals and set them on a little bench-seat in the upstairs bathroom area.

 

Two weeks later, I made my trek south to bring home JJ and Dustin.

 

I got them some toys of their own....and a few of Jack's that were downstairs still appealed to them. They never touched the ones in the bathroom.

 

Then one evening, I was on the computer, looking at pictures of Jack....just sobbing. JJ came in to see me (as I believe they certainly understand tears) and then walked out. I didn't pay much attntion to where he went....About ten minutes later, I walked out into the hallway, and there was JJ surrounded by Jack's toys from the bench seat. He had taken them - obviously one by one - and put them in a big circle...and he was lying right in the middle.....Was it empathy.....a true understanding that I was sad....and a sense of what I was sad about...??

 

I don't know the answer...but I am not a big believer in coincidence.....so I think there is more to it.

 

 

 

WOW!

 

 

 

 

WOW! Is right...that gave me the chillllls!

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

Awesome stories!

 

 

I have to tell the story of what my "empathetic" dog, Frosty did today....Well, I guess now that Mugsy is fine, she thinks she can torture him....today she took his favorite toy, ran up to him bumped him in the nose with it and when he tried to get it from her she moved her head & growled at him...then she hip checked him & did it all over again. Finally she laid on the floor with her head next to the toy and would not let him take it. Now that he is fine, she's all sassy again!

 

 

[Guest FullMetalFrank]

I think they do. The way Chelsa stood protectively over Frank the night I lost him makes me think so; she was trying to help him.

[maryz]

I think they do. The way Chelsa stood protectively over Frank the night I lost him makes me think so; she was trying to help him.

 

[mychip1]

I think they do. The way Chelsa stood protectively over Frank the night I lost him makes me think so; she was trying to help him.

 

 

 

[SPDoggie]

I know Kingsley feels empathy towards people... once there were children playing in the neighborhood doing that little-kid shriek that could be either utter joy or else "I'm being murdered" and Kingsley ran from window to window to try and find where the screams were coming from while looking at us like, "help them... do something"

[racindog]

There is no doubt about it. In fact when Minny crossed over this past July... Slim, who is still our pack leader even though he crossed over in 2006, sent a message to let Minny & I know he was with us and would help Minny and everything would be OK. The message: a year or so ago Slim sent me a "rainbow" message which so moved me I got a picture of it. Moments before Minny crossed over, at home, the computer screen saver "somehow" drew our attention and out of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pictures on it-guess what was in our face? at that specific moment in time...Yep, Slim's rainbow- we all connected- and he helped us both through the journey. I've often read on GT about hounds "helping" their peeps from the other side- well- Slim actually came to help Minny. There are many more details that make this all the more supernatural but the bottom line is even from the other side, he came back to help his buddy Minny.

[Guest AmberStar47988]

Mugsy Frosty