Dog goes to church every day since owner died

[dannypoos]

I got a sheep dog and she used to sleep on my bed but I had to kick her out as the hairs was doing my head in.. felt bad but meh

[Stir]

It's plausible that the dog knows what death is, and actually is mourning. We've observed it in other animals such as Elephants & other apes.

http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/thebas...anine-Emotions

Yup. Sounds like ordinary mourning behaviour to me, as well. I don't think the dog is 'waiting for Maria' or anything the like. I honestly don't think dogs are intelligent enough to come up with spiritual comfort-lies. The dog goes there because it was the place where the mourning ceremony was held. Therefore, the dog goes there to mourn.

And as Kryos has pointed out: After those initial two months of mourning, there's now food and water for him at the church as well.

[Viscoe]

Why? He's just acting out of habit. Sounds like he went there every day/week/whatever and just continues doing that. Humans are just projecting their emotions onto the animal. They see a sad story of an owner dying and their pet continuing the normal routine and immediately create a story around it.

The dog is just trained?

My dog loves my mother. He's her dog. He will wait by the door and stare at the parking spot where her car usually is when she's gone. He will go to her room and smell her pillows and sleep on her bed where she usually sleeps. When he hears her pull up, and especially the beep of her car being locked, he gets RIDICULOUSLY excited and bolts to the door, tail wagging, ears pushed back.

My step-mother's sister had two dachshunds. One of them was named Peanut. Peanut, upon her owner's departure, would CRY FOR HOURS. She would bay at the door and whine and howl and act like her soul got ripped out. No one could console her but her owner. She could hardly sleep. WE could hardly sleep. >.<

Charlie and Charlotte were two little terriers we had. Charlotte had cancer and we had to put her down. When the deed was done and we went home (from the vet's office without her, she was cremated,) Charlie was mortified. These were dogs raised together since they were old enough to be sold. Charlie missed her. He sniffed around for her, went to her usual spots, went outside to the place she preferred to pee, looked on her chair, under her chair, by the food - he wanted to know where she was. And I don't think he ever got over it until he couldn't walk anymore, and he also had to be put down.

Now tell me it's all just habit and training. I've had many dogs, and they all exhibit sadness and fondness. I have no doubt in my mind that that shepard missed his owner and hung out in the places he used to see her. And yeah, he probably stays around the church because he has food and shelter, but I'm convinced that he wants to know where his master has gone.

[Stir]

Now tell me it's all just habit and training. I've had many dogs, and they all exhibit sadness and fondness. I have no doubt in my mind that that shepard missed his owner and hung out in the places he used to see her. And yeah, he probably stays around the church because he has food and shelter, but I'm convinced that he wants to know where his master has gone.

This dog knows where Maria went. He was at the ceremony, accompanied the coffin, was in the church and everything...
I don't think he wants the know where she went... I'm pretty sure he knows that already.

[Viscoe]

This dog knows where Maria went. He was at the ceremony, accompanied the coffin, was in the church and everything...
I don't think he wants the know where she went... I'm pretty sure he knows that already.

I don't think he understands that she died. I think he saw his human doing weird human shit and is waiting for her to come back to him.

[Stir]

I don't think he understands that she died. I think he saw his human doing weird human shit and is waiting for her to come back to him.

The moment a person dies, everything about them changes. Subtly, but still. The way they feel, the way they smell. There's no way the dog wouldn't have noticed her being dead. He was there, after all.

[Dezerte]

I don't think he understands that she died. I think he saw his human doing weird human shit and is waiting for her to come back to him.

Let's say the dog don't understand the meaning of death, can't it still feel sad & lonely? Just like a child being told their mother or father has "gone away", the child doesn't quite understand; but the child will miss the parent.

[Jess Day]

My grandparents had two dogs. A jack russell/daschund cross and a border collie. When the border collie died, you could see the jack russell visibly saddened. You could even say he mourned her for days. When you've lived with the same animals for long enough you can see when they're upset, and he was most definitely upset.
To say animals are stupid is, well, stupid. Christ judging by some of the people in lfd i could hold a more intelligent conversation with a dog than them.

[stumpy]

Hachiko 2.0?

[lockedout]

I only would them call not stupid, if the dogs would not do that. All those examples show, that they are things without own will who stick to long engrained habits. The one person they were trained to love is not more and they can't think of something else to do. Their purpose is invalid but they are still alive. Is it just me, or does this look like the exact opposite of not stupid?

A cat wouldn't have done something like that.

Therefore cats > dogs.

Good thing my dog eats cats.

[DeltrusDisc]

I got a bit teary-eyed. Think I need to go hug my dog now.

Aye, for sure! I can just see in that picture, the dog is mourning, that's for sure, no doubt about it.

[Olo]

always chokes me up

[Rubbaducky]

I read this story a day or so ago, and it's still touching. Even if it is just an ingrained response to hearing the bells and seeing/heaing people going to church, it's still sweet.

[TequilaFlavor]

A lot of animals are far more intelligent than we usually give them credit for - people just assume they are dumb, emotionless creatures without free will because they usually can't express more complex thoughts without spoken or written language.

Here is a great example of a dog that I once saw on the German TV-show "Wetten dass" myself in a best-of-episode (best of 20 years, and Rico won).

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=1952976

[Wildtree]

Here is a great example of a dog that I once saw on the German TV-show "Wetten dass" myself in a best-of-episode (best of 20 years, and Rico won).

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=1952976

I've watched it. Rico is amazing. Border Collies are generally considered the most intelligent race amongst dogs. But he still blows it out of the ball park.

[Felicia]

I have a German Shepherd myself. I absolutely adore him. I'm living with my parents right now, because I'm preparing to move to Florida to be with my husband (Navy). My dog 'squeals', literally. When he hears me driving up the road, doesn't do it for anyone else :P He's always sitting and waiting for me at the gate. He's also not the licking type, but he'll lick me if he hasn't seen me.

He also has a bad habit of parking himself in front of me until I pet him. I've tripped over him several times, love him anyway.

[Kurioxan]

Its cute but then you have to realize its just a routine the dog was used to, likely returns there out of habit and thinking there is some special meaning to it that has to be done, learnt behavior...
And fuck it, im being a spoilsport, it is heart warming.

[Snowraven]

The question remains though. Does he go there every day because he used to do that every day anyways and he gets pet, fed and shelter there, or because he thinks "Master used to go there all the time. Honor his memory even through death"?

Unfortunately don't think we'll know. Until we find a way to communicate with animals, and I mean actual communication, we'll never know.

http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-s.../#.UPwIgWfheSo

It always puzzles me to see all kinds of obviously uneducated postings from people, who have never spent any (or at least not enough) time to find out what animals are capable of..
Granted... Almost all animals, including our domesticated ones are instinctive. Well, so we are. We humans aren't that superior in that regard. All animals have intelligence. The state of development varies, But it is safe to say that all our domesticated animals have a fairly high progressed intelligence. Hence why we domesticated them in the first place.
It would also seem, that IF neither Dog or Cat had significant amounts of intelligence, that this would make US look extremely stupid.
Even more so ancient cultures, where both have been worshiped.

wow, that's really interesting, thanks for sharing. To be honest I think the animals do feel something, not sure what, but they do.
For example, there was a time once when I was in a depression. That's years ago, it passed, but anyway, I had my cat, and she used to sit on my lap, but she never liked to sit on me while I was in bed. Yet when I fell in this depression I had some times when I stood in bed and cried. Because that's how I felt. And I don't know how, she heard me, and she came to me, and "massaged" me with her claws. I didn't teach her this, and she didn't like to stay on bed... yet she came for me when i was alone. And this makes me think that animals do feel and think. Maybe not as complex as humans, but they do.

[Felfury]

Why is the dog just left as a stray?

[Numeanor]

They aren't? This dog didn't even hear the shot that his master is dead and keeps repeating the same thing over and over again, for nothing.

Animals are stupid for the most part, but some are very loyal. That's the real thing about animals that fascinates me... loyalty.

If you think that animals are just stupid I can assure you, that you are totally wrong. Believe me, animals can learn and they can feel similar emotions like humans. I have a cat at home and he learned by himself to open doors and other stuff. I have teach him a lot of stuff and tricks and I know when he is sad or angry as he knows for me. When I don't feel good he lies beside me and when I'm cold he lies beside me to warm me up.