Grief Or...what?

[Guest ReleaseTheHound]

I have been watching Thorulf closely since Kelly died on Friday night. He does not know what happened to her, because by the time she died she was physically such a mess that I thought it would do more harm than good to see her like that. It certainly hurt me. Thus far, he seems more or less normal. Maybe he sleeps a bit more, and he knows I am very sad, but that's it.

 

But I had to go to work today, and when I came home I found him in a hole he had dug in the shady part of the yard, where a burst pipe made the ground moist. He never spent a lot of time outside before, but then before Friday, he would have stayed inside near Kelly.

 

It did not hurt him any, as he could come in via the pet door for water or to cool down. His skin didn't even feel hot. But it seems very strange that he would choose to lay outside. My guess is that when he is outside, he can hear the neighbor dogs?

 

I have always thought that he would not do well as an only dog, but I need a little time to prepare for another grey. What are your thoughts on this behavior?

[robinw]

I think they grieve. Phoenix stopped eating and seemed really lethargic after Loca passed away. It might take him a little time to get used to being an only dog. Treasure is just now returning to her normal self after Phoenix passed away 2.5 months ago.

[cleptogrey]

lucky that he kept himself cool by digging a hole- i know it's been really hot in texas, i wonder how long he was outside??glad to hear he was cool to touch. only you can really judge if he should still have the pet door availabe, if he has always used it, then most likely his routine should not be changed.

 

when my dogs were temporarily left as solo dogs they managed but i could just see that the spunk was not there and they needed a companion. it's all a matter of when you are ready and how stongly the dog shows it's need for another companion.

 

i ended up fostering when my first grey died and my male was left alone.he was hand raised and always has had a super stong bond to people and sometimes has trouble figuring out the dog thing,(but he gets it eventually)so we were trying to decide if he could be a solo pet. then we decided to foster, there was a difficult pup in need of a new foster home with less dogs around. the two never bonded, she went to a home w/ a lab-perfect match. but when the 2nd foster came along the two bonded, she joined him in soccer and that was it! i think DH needed a new dog more than my surviving male.

 

in the past i waited 9 months to get another dog, poor willie just stared at the floor for 6 months, but i was not ready. dh didn't seem ready as well, and i wasn't sure of the breed that i wanted next.i spent a good amount of times going to meet and greets to see if willie would get along w/ a grey.

 

so, it's a matter of when you feel comfortable, if fostering is the right thing for you and when the stars align.

[greysmom]

I do think they grieve, and he probably is. Though I'm not sure this behavior is that.

 

If he felt especially close to your other dog, and was sticking close to her physically while she was sick, he may simply be feeling able to have some alone time where he wants to have it - outside in a cool hole in the shade - now that he doesn't have to stay near her. My greys all love cool dirt on a hot day.

[Guest BrianRke]

I agree with Greysmom, now that she is gone, his routine will probably change some. Im sorry for your loss and I hope you and Thorulf can help each other through this.

[greytpups]

I often wonder if Ben grieved or picked up on my feelings. I was devastated and depressed when we had to put Bailey to sleep. I remember he looked all over the house so I thought he was looking for her and when he couldn't find her, I cried buckets of tears on a daily basis, plus I felt like a robot some days, just going through the motions. So I wonder if he was just picking up on my sadness and lethargy.

 

Perhaps we sometimes try to make sense of things when everything seems out of control and although Thorulf did not go outside a lot, he may have occasionally, and this was just one of those days.

Edited August 23, 2011 by greytpups

[Guest ReleaseTheHound]

I got home today and he was inside the house. Then again, I made a lot of noise coming in because I was dragging a new computer -- that story belongs in OT. But I think I'll be getting another hound as soon as I'm ready.

 

I have some good news for those following the story: whatever got her doesn't seem to be after him -- his blood work was fine except for weak kidneys, and "Canine KD" can help with that.

[Guest BrianRke]

Good news, glad to hear it.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

I'm so sorry about Kelly. We had to say goodbye to our boy Zeke on Friday :-(

 

Our vet came to our house to euthanize him after we just couldn't manage his pain with medication any longer. Our girl Lola was present when we said our goodbyes. She sniffed Zeke's lifeless body, kissed our veterinarian's face, sniffed Zeke again, then hid behind some decorative grass in our garden. She seemed kind of depressed that night, sniffing around Zeke's bed and shaking. We let her sleep with us that night. The next day we took her for a long walk with some friends of ours who also have a greyhound, and she seemed to be happy. We also bought her a new toy that she has been carrying everywhere these past few days.

 

Initially the most difficult thing for Lola was going for walks without Zeke, and she started doing that about a week before Zeke passed since he was no longer able to go for walks. Lola would walk about a half block and then turn around looking towards home. It was heart-breaking. Then she would wag her tail and greet Zeke with a sniff when we returned home. Lola seems fine on walks now, but when she isn't sure about a situation (like a strange dog crossing our path) she will get behind us. Lola used to stay behind Zeke whenever she wasn't sure about a strange dog. Lola is actually very outgoing...not a shy grey at all, but she is cautious. Even more cautious without Zeke.

 

Fortunately my wife is staying home right now with our one-year-old baby girl, so Lola is almost never alone. We will adopt another greyhound eventually, but it can be tricky to introduce a new dog into a family with a baby/toddler. For that reason Lola may be an only dog for awhile, but at least she will rarely be alone.