I had 3 dogs a week before Christmas. All of them were outside dogs and best of friends. I went outside to feed them and I came to find that one of them had pasted away (leaving the other two behind).

This was very sad for me and both of my other dogs. It seemed to affect both in different ways. But my one that was the same age as her was affected the most. He got separation anxiety.

This caused him to start biting me when I put him in his kennel for the night, not listen to me, and to bark constantly almost non-stop.

It drove me nuts that my dog acted like this, but it made me sadder that he was feeling that way. I started spending more time with him and he eventually overcame it.


My problem is I have another dog that is 14 yr. old and they too are the best best of friends. She is really healthy and they get along great.

I am not saying that I want her to die. I just saying I don't want him to go through it again and me not know what to do to comfort him.


I don't know how much longer my 14 yrs. old dog will live. My guess is 2-4 more years (if she continues to have good health). I want advice ahead of time so I know what to do when the time comes. I am only 14 yrs. and already had to deal with losing 2 dogs and 2 cats last year.

(I found a maltese on the side of the road and kept her for awhile. Then I found out my mom was pregnant and she didn't like little kids so I had to give her away. [Thank goodness she is still alive] And then the cats got ran over.)

I just hope I don't have to go through that this year (what I mean is losing any animals).

Please help me now so I will know how to help my dog then. You probably will help other pet owners out to if they lose a loved one and still have another best friend remaining.

I just want to know how to help my dog cope with it and overcome it. I would probably think of doing it by getting his mind off of the one it lost.

If it was me, I would look to bring in a new companion before the older one goes. This would give him time to bond with his new companion before the old one passes. of course it will still be hard for him to lose his good friend, but hopefully not as hard as if he was suddenly all alone. Of course I live alone now and don't have parents to deal with about it.

We must deal with the fact that dogs' lives are much shorter than our own. I like to look at it this way, it gives me an opportunity to love that many more dogs in my life. I want a big ol' pack of my old friends waiting for me when I get to the Rainbow Bridge.

Wow that's really tough... I had to put my dog Lady to sleep almost a week ago and now my mom's dog Bear is depressed over the loss. We are actually looking for a new companion for him. Don't get me wrong we are not replacing Lady! We are just thinking of what might make Bear happier. Maybe you could try finding another dog to keep the others company? It's hard to tell you what to do.

animallover,
I'm so sorry that you lost your friend and how concerned you are about your other dogs. I lost my best friend Missy just a few days after this past Christmas. She was a 17 yr old blue heeler. We had been through a lot together and I still miss her terribly. I had known for several years that the end was coming for her. I knew that I couldn't live without a dog in my life so I went to the local selter and brought home Hank, a red heeler mix. When the time came to take her to the vet, we spent the night on the floor together; I held her, comforting her, but I think it was more for myself. There is no easy way to loose a friend. It is much harder for us than for them. They cross over much more comfortably than we know. Your other dogs know that she is OK and they can still see her even though you can't. That's one of the wonderful things about the dog and cat world. They are very closely tuned into the spiritual world. Don't feel bad for your animals, they are fine; it sounds to me like you are the one that needs to find comfort. Try looking to them for what they can give to you. Trust that they are well and happy, and that they want to be there for you. God bless you sweetheart.

Yeah, it is a hard time us all. I remember when they had to put down my 13 yr old English Bulldog, that was a heart-breaker for me and even for my parents. Just remember, what texgurl said, just remember dogs have shorter life's than we do and just remember they good times you had together.

I wouldn't worry about getting another dog right now. The thing to remember is that dogs recover quite well and deal with death better than most humans. They don't dwell too long on what we humans do emotionally. What you did is exactly what you should have. That being spending more time with the dog left behind. Play with the dog and try to fill the interaction that became suddenly missing. When we show too much sorrow to the dog, we transfer uneasiness and weakness to the remaining dog. Therefore making it think something is wrong. Just keep positive and upbeat, playing and carrying on like normal, and the remaining dog will get over it rather quickly. That is what they do in the wild in packs. I think you are quite the animal lover as your screename says, and you will probably do very well in a career working with animals when you get older, and I bet you'll be great at it!!

Purchase another dog///a new best friend means new fun and time to get over the passing of the other one!

i agree what they said get a dog thats a companion but also fairly young like 5 or 6 not too young it will probaly drive him crazy lolz