Dog goes to church every day since owner died

[Klingers]

You know, it's right when people say dogs can't feel love or guilt like a human can. There's maybe 5 animals on the planet that can process those emotions, and those are pretty much limited to a limited set of primates and cetaceans.

That said though: Dog's aren't soulless things. They're not just following a routine. Dogs make very real familial bonds with their owners and families, they feel real loyalty and yes, it's an instinctual thing. That doesn't make it any less of a real connection with their human family. A need for loyalty and support from a group of trustworthy family members is something dogs and humans share on a deep level.

That dog isn't sad in a human context that his loved one died. But he is very much missing and pining for his lost family member in the deepest way he can. It's still something beautiful and sad.

[Daedius]

Its kind of weird how many people try to project human emotion onto their animals, all the animal is doing is continue the routine they had before and once they get hungry enough they will break it and learn a new.

Dogs do show emotions... good example; Them Youtube vids you occasionally see of a soldier returning... their dog getting incredibly excited to see them back.

Or even dogs losing a fellow dog friend, you can see them get depressed.

Don't tell me otherwise, that dogs lack emotion...

[thevolget]

You know, it's right when people say dogs can't feel love or guilt like a human can. There's maybe 5 animals on the planet that can process those emotions, and those are pretty much limited to a limited set of primates and cetaceans.

That said though: Dog's aren't soulless things. They're not just following a routine. Dogs make very real familial bonds with their owners and families, they feel real loyalty and yes, it's an instinctual thing. That doesn't make it any less of a real connection with their human family. A need for loyalty and support from a group of trustworthy family members is something dogs and humans share on a deep level.

That dog isn't sad in a human context that his loved one died. But he is very much missing and pining for his lost family member in the deepest way he can. It's still something beautiful and sad.

I've owned several dogs, and I can say that they do feel these emotions. Had two rottweilers that I raised from puppies, that were constantly together. After some dick poisoned the male (never found the sorry bastard), my other one did nothing but mope and look for him for months. She would just sit where he used to lay and stay there. I literally watched as she went from being really energetic to not even wanting to move from that spot even to eat.

Please don't tell me that dogs lack emotion.

[TheBeardedOne]

You've obviously never had any animals. That, or you're a bit miserable. No offence.

If you really want to get down to it, isn't that what love is about for us too? Animals are just a lot more honest about it.

To be honest i was bitten by a dog when i was young and always thought it was weird why people allow animals into their houses

[Time Sage]

This kind of thing is not unheard of in pets. The most famous story of this type that I'm aware of is the Story of Hachiko (which only breifly got a mention in this thread surprisingly). I'll give a quick overview of it for those not familer with it:

In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō, a golden brown Akita, as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachikō greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the dog waited at Shibuya station.

Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. Initial reactions from the people, especially from those working at the station, were not necessarily friendly. However, after the first appearance of the article about him on October 4, 1932 in Asahi Shimbun, people started to bring Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait. This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

Hachiko waited for his owner for 9 years, despite only being with said owner for a year (or less!). Now THAT is loyalty. He's famous in japan and has a number of statues and plaques in his honor.

[mikencarly]

No, not at all. It's called unconditional love. And it's a good thing.

That happens over and over again also amongst us humans. Millions and millions of people lose their spouse, never marry. Missing their beloved partner, visiting their graves every day, and talk to them as if they were still here.

Someone calling this stupid, or bad, could be seen to have emotional deficits. It's one thing to believe (because you never know until you are in such situation) that one for themselves wouldn't act like that. It's a whole different thing to see it as something good.
And how different we really are? Anecdotal evidence.
The passing of my great grandma.. she fell terminally ill a week before Christmas a few decades ago. She lived her whole life together with my grandma, who lost her husband during WW2, and never re-married, although she moved on, as we would call it. Grandma was on vacation during that time. The old lady was laying in the hospital waiting for her daughter. She refused to let go. Something kept her alive. And she even said that. I am waiting for my daughter to come.
Four hours after Grandma's visited her at the hospital, great grandma passed away. Peacefully giving the circumstances.
Unconditional love to her child made her survive longer than the doctors thought.

100% well said which is why i don't take my wife for granted while shes still alive or hell who knows i might die first and she WILL feel the SAME way she loves me that much she told me i would rather be alone then and just wait to meet her again hopefully when i die if thats the case.i agree the dog just misses the owner sad story.

[Pendulous]

Please leave religion out of this please.

[Wildtree]

Stories like this move me close to tears, sad and wonderful animals...

And yet you have the old fashioned thinking of religious people saying that dogs don't go to heaven... cruel bastards. -.-;

Well, there's this...
Pretty known actually. http://rainbowsbridge.com/poem.htm

[Lesarat]

I still find it amazing that in this day and age, people cannot comprehend animals having feelings or even feeling pain. It's madness. As if we are the only creature on this planet that can. Anyone who lives in close company with such animals will see that they have feelings, emotions, thoughts, desires. It would be pure ignorance to deny it. They may not feel the same as we do, but they most definitely do miss/pine for lost company. I knew a dog that was traumatized after watching his best doggy friend getting killed, was never the same dog after.

Very sad story, I do love German Shepards. Such a beautiful and loyal animal.

[Ghul]

if a human did the same, nobody would care. nice...

[Bryntrollian]

Some of you people should follow in his footsteps and attend church more often

[Deleted]

To be honest i was bitten by a dog when i was young and always thought it was weird why people allow animals into their houses

I was bitten twice by dogs. Yet I still love animals, had dogs myself and a bunch of cats. You're just assuming all dogs are bad because 1 single dog bit you. That's like saying all humans are bad because a thief robbed me once.

if a human did the same, nobody would care. nice...

Because it's something not out of the ordinary for humans to go to church or graves or grieve for their loved ones, but you don't see every cat or dog or turtle or whatever animal doing this.

Some of you people should follow in his footsteps and attend church more often

Ok, that's enough. Look, I am a christian. I belive in God. That said... you know what? The church today is a joke! It doesn't represent any God of any kind unless there's a god of greed out there. Sure, there's some exceptions (mostly in the country) with good priests and such but let's be honest, the Church as an institution, and here not talking about a church in particular, but about all, they've all been turned into businesses to make money. And that makes me sick, and as such I don't go to church.

[Sorrior]

Its kind of weird how many people try to project human emotion onto their animals, all the animal is doing is continue the routine they had before and once they get hungry enough they will break it and learn a new.

Yet science has shown they DO have emotions like us.

---------- Post added 2013-01-21 at 10:11 PM ----------

They might not contemplate like we do, but I'm 100% sure and convinced that a social animal like a dog really feels sorrow and longing. Perhaps not as we percieve it. The dog probably doesn't understand. But I have no doubts that he misses his owner.
You must've never been met by a dog that misses you to not understand such loyalty.

---------- Post added 2013-01-21 at 09:38 AM ----------



While they probably don't contemplate life and death, there is no doubt that they feel joy and sadness. If a dog is left alone, it will miss you. If your dog hasn't seen you in a long time, it will be overjoyed to see you again. No they aren't entirely like us, but they aren't without emotion.

Mine gets angry when i leave for too long...He seeks revenge by getting into the trash and crpping..Say what you will most doubt it. But he normally goes out on his own when i'm gone he does all kindsa stuff to sorta go "Their see this is what happens when you leave me alone. Don't do it again"

---------- Post added 2013-01-21 at 10:13 PM ----------

I've owned several dogs, and I can say that they do feel these emotions. Had two rottweilers that I raised from puppies, that were constantly together. After some dick poisoned the male (never found the sorry bastard), my other one did nothing but mope and look for him for months. She would just sit where he used to lay and stay there. I literally watched as she went from being really energetic to not even wanting to move from that spot even to eat.

Please don't tell me that dogs lack emotion.

Whoever did that deserves a death so horrific that it would give a demon lord nightmares....NO ONE should EVER harm a dog like that.

---------- Post added 2013-01-21 at 10:15 PM ----------

This kind of thing is not unheard of in pets. The most famous story of this type that I'm aware of is the Story of Hachiko (which only breifly got a mention in this thread surprisingly). I'll give a quick overview of it for those not familer with it:



Hachiko waited for his owner for 9 years, despite only being with said owner for a year (or less!). Now THAT is loyalty. He's famous in japan and has a number of statues and plaques in his honor.

His story always touches me TBH..So beautiful....So very very beautiful. And sad...No dog should lose their companions.

---------- Post added 2013-01-21 at 10:17 PM ----------

if a human did the same, nobody would care. nice...

I personally have more empathy/feeling for dogs than i do most if not all humans.

[Tokru]

Some of you people should follow in his footsteps and attend church more often

Why? To appreciate the architecture one or maybe two visits are neccessary (and only if the church is something special/old). Nothing else is to be had there.

[Sayl]

Anyone fluent in Italian? If so, please give us a rundown of this article. (Before you suggest it, Google Translate sucks at preserving context... I tried.)

It appears this story has been distorted by both the locals as well as all the tabloid coverage (pardon me while I feign surprise). The woman's son is rather upset about how it's all gone down. He has a Facebook page (and profile, using his mom's name) set up to try and secure adoptions for his mother's animals, but apparently local politics is getting in the way.

Unless the translations I've come up with online are somehow falling apart, Maria Lochi's son, Sebastian Mapelli, says that she didn't go to church (or at the very least, didn't go to that church), so that whole part of the story is bunk. I get the idea that everyone's been basking in the limelight the media attention has brought to the town and the church -- but the welfare of the animals should have been the primary concern, and they didn't receive the necessary attention.

[theredviola]

Wow... all the joy-killers in here.

Not that I'm shocked with the amount of cynicism in here, it is the internet after all.

[Nzonic]

That's why I love my pets very much

[Tuulikki 27]

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"?

I think the dog goes back because it thinks maybe its owner will return. Just youtube a couple videos of dogs staying at grave sites, they starve to stay by the last place they saw owner.
I do not believe they understand death but this does not take away loyalty or love for a companion.

Now I will go spend time with my dogs.

[Malcor]

Poor thing, I understand how it feels.

I lost my dog last month, 2 days before my Birthday and Christmas. We had her put down, She was not in a very good state. But I regret it so much. I could not watch her live like that yet, It was the right thing to do.

I miss her so much, I keep thinking I see her, Both in my dreams and real life.


And No Tuulikki, They don't understand death. Humans are the only creatures that understand they will die eventually...

Each day we /TRY/ to treat like our last because we know death may come tomorrow. But dog's don't think they are going to die, They just live

[Klingers]

I've owned several dogs, and I can say that they do feel these emotions. Had two rottweilers that I raised from puppies, that were constantly together. After some dick poisoned the male (never found the sorry bastard), my other one did nothing but mope and look for him for months. She would just sit where he used to lay and stay there. I literally watched as she went from being really energetic to not even wanting to move from that spot even to eat.

Please don't tell me that dogs lack emotion.

That wasn't actually what I was saying... Well, at least not what I was trying to say.

All I meant in the context of the post I was replying to that dogs aren't capable of the complex emotions humans feel. They can obviously feel loss, distress, anger, and an attachment we read as love. It was the same hallmarks; Stress during absence, loyalty, protectiveness... But it's a more instinctual pack mentality than a human love.

That doesn't make a dog's "love" any less real. Underneath all the complex emotional and intellectual stuff our neocortex slathers on top of it, our lower brain's concept of love and attachment isn't any more or less than a dog's. It's something we share.