In the past two weeks, we’ve had two sheep die, and I had a chance to pay close attention again to how sheep react to the death of other members of the flock.
Since being on the farm, I’ve observed this a score of times. I am still determining what animals think.
This subject is complex, and there needs to be more consensus among biologists, vets, researchers, and animal lovers. Most of the people I know with animals insist that their animals think, communicate with humans, and grieve in human ways.
I’ve never seen an animal grieve in human ways.
I see animals who get upset and confused when a community member is sick or dies. But I’ve seen no evidence that animals are aware of their mortality or the mortality of other animals, or that they understand or fear certain death.
They know when they are sick and when other animals are gone, but that’s as far as I’ve seen it go. A dog doesn’t know the difference between a pack mate going to the vet or dying and never returning.
They are creatures of tradition and continuity, as are sheep, but in my experience, they quickly recover, reorganize, and return to eating and their new rituals of behavior.
The need for clarification is understanding what is thought and what is instinct. Most animals live by instinct, not thought.
I feel we know less than we think about animals, what they are thinking, and how most of them grieve or mourn if they do. I can tell what my animals are feeling but not what they are thinking. They aren’t human and don’t have our vocabulary or knowledge of history and patterns.
I’ve heard all those stories about border collies spending years at train stations or gates waiting for their dead humans to return. I’ve had four or five border collies die on my watch, and I’ve never seen one grieve for a lost companion or kennel mate. They get upset when their familiar rituals change.
Every border collie I know who lost a human recovered when they had more sheep to herd.
Of the hundreds of thousands of dogs rescued from Hurricane Katrina, I don’t know of one who died of loneliness or separation anxiety. They were content once they figured out who their new bosses were, the new rules, where they lived, and who would feed them.
Those are the dogs I know. Zinnia will miss me until someone gives her a steak, and she will be fine.
I know only what I can see, not what I can project, what I need and want to feel, or what other people tell me to feel.
I found several good research and veterinary sites on this; here is one of them for people interested in the subject.
I’ve been living on a farm with cats, dogs, sheep, chickens, and cats for more than a decade. I’ve seen animals react sharply to the death of other animals, reorganize their communities, gather around dying sheep, ignore the death of other sheep, and abandon the sick to keep predators far away.
In the cases of Suzy and Socks, we saw them get sick suddenly, and I saw what seemed to be the concern of the other animals; they sniffed them, gathered around them, and seemed to protect them. They were aware something was happening.
Then, as the animal got close to dying, she went off to the farthest corner of the farghest pasture to die. We interrupted that out of concern, not wanting either one of them to be assaulted by predators or die alone in the cold.
That was our concern; I’m not sure it was theirs.
When these sheep were shot, it was clear the animals heard the shots, reacted, and watched.
Once the body was collected and removed, we gave them extra hay and grain to calm them down, and they got about their business of re-organzing and switching leaders—now, Asher and Ishakoff are in charge, that is clear.
It’s important for me to understand what I know and see and what I don’t know and don’t see. These animals are not like children to me, and they are not humans.
They have their way of grieving, thinking, feeling, and reacting. The more I see, the less I think I know for sure. I’ve never had a dog with separation anxiety and never had a dog that gave up dinner for too long over the loss of a pack member.
One of the remarkable things about animals is their adaptability and acceptance.
In this way, they are nothing like humans. I have never seen an animal mourn in a human way. I know about elephants, but no one can say whether they are confused and anxious or acting on instinct when mourning, according to the Hunan understanding of the term.
I hope to listen, observe, and learn more. Only Mother Nature has the answers.
The books I have read need to be more conclusive. We can’t know what an animal is thinking because they can’t tell us, and we can’t read their minds in a recognizable language.
I’ll follow this science as it advances; I know that no animal researcher ever got a grant to conclude that animals differ from humans. That makes me wary of the significant modern trend of turning animals into children and furbabies.
I do see that animals react to the death of others. They are aware of it, and they get over it quickly in every case I’ve seen, from dogs to cats to chickens to sheep to donkeys.
Of all the animals, our donkeys have reacted the most intensely to the death of pasture mates. Unlike sheep, they react vocally and visibly for days. Then, they move on with their lives. No animal can survive on mourning; they survive on food, which governs what I know of their emotions and habits.
What are they thinking?
I don’t know. Donkeys suffer when alone, whether out of fear of predators’ habits or awareness; we don’t know.
The people I most respect are the ones who admit that they don’t yet know what animals think. They’ll get there, but they are far away.
I am not sure what to think on the subject. I know that after my husband died, I gave the throw he used to her to lay on. She seemed to want to snuggle into it but would look sad. I am sure it smelled of him. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part.
Losing one of their humans is very disruptive to dogs and pets. It isn’t that they don’t feel it; the question is whether they understand death and mourn it in the way we know it. Or does it trigger an intuitive response because of danger? Almost all animals are wired for danger. Thanks for the post.
Not sure what to think. My Golden girl seemed to miss my husband when he died. She would snuggle into the throw he used that I gave her. I am sure it smelled of him and she always looked sad when using it. Might have been wishful thinking on my part.
Undoubtedly, animals are affected by the loss of their pack or pasture or herd mates..What isn’t clear is whether their discomfort is instinct or sorrow, or mourning. That’s the part that stumps me since they have no language and are not believed by any researcher to know what death is. They know what danger is, and it is also clear that they know loss. But how they interpret it can’t be known because they can’t tell us.
I have absolutely watched a dog mourn, not eating or sleeping, searching for his dead mistress until three weeks later he just laid down and died himself. This is from personal experience. Have I seen it happen again? No. But I believe that some, not all, animals have that ability.
And it only takes the existence of one white crow to prove all crows aren’t black.
Thanks, Suzanne. That was a nice post. My question is that since animals don’t know what death is, I don’t understand how they can mourn the way human beings do. They are certainly affected by the loss of animals they know and live with. Is it mourning? I’m not sure. Thanks for your input.
I trust most people have very strong opinions on this subject….but as you mention, there *is* no concrete evidence to suggest what an animal is really thinking or feeling. Having had, and observed many different animals over the years….. my thoughts are that they definitely sense and feel *something*…(as in the loss of a fellow animal)….though I wouldn’t propose to refer to it as grief. I believe their senses are acute, much more so than ours….. and I believe they *sense* an impending change/ loss….. I’ve seen chickens who *sensed* a dying hen and laid by her side as if to comfort her during the process…..but afterwards…..go on about their business. Had a cat once who would spend hours every day sitting right on top of a grave where we had just buried our dog……. but after about a week of this……. she went on with her cat life. One of our donkeys stood guard (it seemed) over the body of her fellow donkey for 4 hours after her death until the body was removed……and once the body was removed…….. she went back to grazing. I recall at the time feeling that she was trying to *process* the event, but I would not have called it grief the way humans describe grief. I find the greatest *teacher* in understanding animals (for me) comes from mere open minded observation of them and their behavior…… not projecting my own feelings onto them. Very interesting subject……. one of the topics where you could sit in front of a cozy fire with friends and a cocktail or cup of tea in hand…..and talk for hours on just this one subject with likely as many differing opinions as there are people in the room!
Susan M
Every border collie I know who lost a human recovered when they had more sheep to herd.
AhHa: Data! well written.
My husband died a month ago (age 64) from prostate cancer, diagnosed 3 years ago. Our dog Jack never left his side until shortly before his death. Husband knew the end was near, and so did Jack. Jack was confused for a few days: pacing, whining. Now, Jack’s main concerns: meals and walks on schedule, daily Romp & Stomp (Ball Time, lunging on a 20′ leash at a local park, etc.) Jack is okay. His being okay helps me to be okay, too.
A big virtual hug to you, Susie. I’m so sorry….but so glad you have Jack to keep you in good company
Susan M
I don’t think dogs understand death but I think they miss (and “grieve” in various forms) the loss of a close companion either human or animal.
I figured you’d be slammed with comments about this subject, mostly from those convinced that they absolutely know that animals grieve. Scientific observation means not projecting our own feelings onto something we are observing. Nearly impossible for humans, since we have evolved to have very complex emotions/feelings.
Was Greyfriars Bobby a true story? I know there is a monument to him in the cemetery where his master was buried. If so, he spoke most eloquently about it for years.
Jon.
Very beautifully and thoughtfully written. I think for the most part you are correct in every way, and I wonder, since you say animals ‘feel’, do they, especially dogs, feel ‘love’ similar to how humans feel love? Or attachment, or bonding or whatever else you want to call it? In almost all dog rescue facilities they often advertise that a pair of dogs are ‘a bonded pair’ and must be adopted together. Sometimes they came into the shelter that way, or else they bonded while in the shelter. Some dogs become extremely attached to their primary owners and some even mourn and die after the loss of their owner as mentioned by a previous comment. In some cases such as this it sounds like more than just a meal ticket or a herding instinct. Are we as humans afraid to admit that some animals might be capable of loving closely and similarly to how humans love? I hope you continue your research into this subject, and I think you have the objectivity and experience to do it justice. I look forward to more thoughts and information from you about this important topic.