Shelties grieving over the loss of fellow shelties?

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krsanders25

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This past Saturday, my 15-year-old Sheltie, Riley, was put down. He and my 6-year-old Sheltie, Toby, were never particularly close, but definitely cared about one another. Although they did not play together often (mostly because Riley was old and Toby prefers people), it seems that Toby has been moping around since Riley's death.
Saturday night, the first night without Riley, Toby brought his ball into bed with him. I wouldn't think anything of it if he hadn't first looked sad while laying in bed before getting up to retrieve his ball from downstairs solely to bring it to bed with him. Again, last night he did the same, and right now he has it next to him as he sleeps.
Is it possible that he is using this ball in a way similar to how a child might use a teddy bear to cope with a loss?

Have you ever experienced grieving amongst your Shelties?
 
I haven't with shelties as Tinsel is my first but I have with the westies, in particular Phoebe. When our old girl Vanna died Phoebe was inconsolable. She wandered the house looking for her, laid on Vanna'a bed, whimpered and downright cried. It was really hard to watch. It lasted for about a week and then she decided that Vanna wasn't coming back and transferred her attention to Rhiannon. Understand that Phoebe is a dog that bonds closely with other dogs. When Tinsel came she laid with him all the time, smelly though he was, and wouldn't let him out of her sight. Some dogs are like that.
My gelding, Thomas, still looks in Kassy's stall to see if somehow magically she has returned. Sometimes I wonder if her spirit is there and he knows it. He'll nicker and act like she's in there. It's been over a year but he was tightly bonded to her, even became her seeing eye horse as her own eyes dimmed. When he foundered she matched her steps to his when they came in even though normally she would have been pushing the other two out of the way so that she came in first.
Not all of my dogs over the years have shown this kind of bonding and Thomas is not overally concerned about Ariel. I think that animals are like people. Some are more effected by loss, and will demonstrate it, more than others.
 
Back in 2008, we only had Princess, who had suffered some health problems, so we got Charlie. They were very close, but sadly, Princess passed in 2009. Charlie retreated to behind the rocker, would not come out for handouts from the table, and generally acted depressed. he also wouldn't eat. It actually took a few weeks, as we had to get two others to help him over it.
Now, Diego went into a mild depression after Charlie passed away last month. He would sit in the middle of the dining room, and just stare off into space. However, we still have 2 others here, so it was short-lived. Diego still refuses to drink out of the water bowls that the others (including Charlie) use. He has to have his own bowl. They were close, but not tight like Charlie and Princess were.
 
I'm very sorry to hear about Riley's loss. We've always had more than two at a time, so it's not as noticeable as it will be when just one is left, but yes, I definitely have seen signs of grieving in my dogs. They do look for the one who is gone, and the pack dynamic definitely changes.

Your Toby may not have been close to Riley, but he is certainly missing his Sheltie friend. Extra love and pats are called for. Would you consider getting another Sheltie to keep him company? That would be the best medicine.
 
My brothers Shepherd would come over and inspect the whole house just in case Dow was still there. He did that for years.
 
When our last Sheltie, Pavi, really started to get sick, "his" cat Brando started this bizarre behavior, licking the fur off his belly. After Pavi passed away, Brando continued this behavior, reducing his fuzzy belly and the insides of his hind legs to almost bare skin. The vet had nothing to add except that it was probably the result of stress. We're convinced it was Brando's reaction to his dog's suffering and the subsequent loss of his dog. When we got Olive, Brando kept up his manscaping but to a much lesser extent.

Animals grieve. I have no doubt. If you ever have a chance to read about it, the way elephants grieve the loss of one of their own is amazing.
 
I had two setters, and the brother passed away. The one left behind searched for his brother for awhile. After two months he finally decided his brother was not coming back. Then he figured out, well now I don't have to share all the attention.

I am so sorry for your loss, it isn't easy on the fur pal or the family. Sure leaves a big void.
 
I've never had two dogs that were close. During the periods of time when we've had two, one was usually an outdoor dog and one an indoor dog, and they really didn't interact much.

I'm not surprised at all though. We live close enough to Yellowstone that we're usually there once or twice a year, and I've become quite interested in the wolf studies that are being done in the park. It's always heartbreaking to read the stories that are published by the wolf project people after one of the wolves has died, as the rest of the park howls mournfully for their lost pack mate.
 
When we got our first sheltie, Hollie, we also had a pet guinea pig. Hollie would play with the guinea pig and they would always touch noses when the gp was in her cage. When the gp died Hollie would look for her and just mope around the house and cry.
 
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