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    Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

    A local families king charles spaniel Holly went missing this week, she was old and had a heart condition so her owners were frantic. It turns out that she went down to the bottom of the garden and got in behind the shed to lie down for one last sleep in a safe familiar place. I think its sad but beautiful at the same time.

    Apparantly its common in dogs to the point that dogs dying with company is the exception rather then the rule but theres no real reason why with diverse breeds from different life styles tend to do the same thing... is it wolfish behavior so the pack isnt slowed down? Is it to die with dignity? Is it because the dog doesnt love its owners anymore?

    Personally I think its probably an old inbuilt wolfish type behavior, it couldnt be cultural or the different lifestyles dogs lead would mean it wouldnt be so common. Probably a return to the den of puppyhood. Like we begin our lives being looked after by family, then we grow and have children of our own, then we decline and in our later years end our lives being looked after by family. Its a cyclical thing that appeals to me.

    #2
    Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

    Ugh that's so sad. I get way too emotional about sad pet stories.
    When my dog was weakening from a neurological condition he became completely vicious. We were scared of him. We wanted to hold him and comfort him but he acted like he was poised to tear our throats out. I don't know if his condition just completely deteriorated his mind or his memory of us, but I think a lot of animals get very defensive when they feel themselves becoming weak. I don't think they realize their mortality and think something along the lines of "I can't let anyone see me weak, they might take advantage" and that it's just feral instinct. So some respond with violence and some hide but it's both to protect themselves from potential threats that would take advantage of their state and their natural instinct to survive kicks in.
    I don't know though. There are probably studies that talk about this.
    Last edited by orchestrion; 06 Jul 2012, 22:49.

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      #3
      Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

      Me too orchestrion, I was in tears a few times thinking about Holly but the way I look at it is atleast she went peacefully and wasnt out shivering on the streets in the rain. She was with a loving family her whole life and had a nice garden to play and snuffle around in that she liked enough to spend her last moments there in the end. Thats a pretty good life

      Im sorry to hear about your dog orchestrion what was his name? Its sad the way neurological conditions can take people and animals from us like that. My aunts Alsation Rommel was the same and he had to be put to sleep in the end. Im sure theyre all off in dog heaven now or whatever passes for it. I cant imagine a heaven or a summerlands or whatever it might be called without dogs.

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        #4
        Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

        Cats do it too.


        Edit. I wasn't going to add this, but I don't want to be too silent about this situation either. Humans do it too. When I was at my mother's bedside for 9 hours, she waited till I left and 15 minutes later died. She didn't want me there.
        Satan is my spirit animal

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          #5
          Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

          I think that animals, especially ones that live in groups do not want to attract predators. A weak dying animal or a dead body is something a predator would be attracted to. I think it is a natural instinct to draw attention away from the pack.

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            #6
            Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

            Sorry to hear they lost their dog. I have had two wander off. Never found the one. I think she went deep into the woods to a favorite spot. There are death habits same as life ones.

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              #7
              Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

              It might be a survival of the group instinct. If an animal is sick and dying, it may be contagious, so it might be advantageous to go away when it dies. That way it doesn't rot near the others, its sickness is away, and the others wouldn't be tempted to eat the infected flesh.
              That's just me spit-balling, so don't consider that any sort of educated answer.
              "Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children." - Khalil Gibran

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                #8
                Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                Something else I've noticed (and our vet confirmed this) is that some animals will 'will' themselves to die. (You find a reference to this in Moby Dick, too, with the harpoonier Queequeg). I've noticed it a lot with rabbits, and apparently sheep do the same thing.

                Why animals (including dogs) go off somewhere quiet to die, I don't know. But they do - at least, if we don't euthanise them first. And maybe it's just a need to be somewhere dark, quiet and peaceful, like sleep. And then they slip away, to a sleep forgetting.
                www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                  #9
                  Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                  Originally posted by JamesByrne View Post
                  Me too orchestrion, I was in tears a few times thinking about Holly but the way I look at it is atleast she went peacefully and wasnt out shivering on the streets in the rain. She was with a loving family her whole life and had a nice garden to play and snuffle around in that she liked enough to spend her last moments there in the end. Thats a pretty good life

                  Im sorry to hear about your dog orchestrion what was his name? Its sad the way neurological conditions can take people and animals from us like that. My aunts Alsation Rommel was the same and he had to be put to sleep in the end. Im sure theyre all off in dog heaven now or whatever passes for it. I cant imagine a heaven or a summerlands or whatever it might be called without dogs.
                  Yes there's something really bittersweet about Holly's story. It's kind of a peaceful way to go isn't it?
                  My dog's name was Jaeger. He had to be put to sleep too, which was sad but better than just letting him suffer. It was last year. My little brother was hit pretty hard by it.
                  And yes i'm sure there off frolicking somewhere haha.

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                    #10
                    Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                    Not sure whether anyone else has had this experience after losing a pet (and before anyone asks, I can't prove it and I don't mind if you think I'm bonkers for this) but whenever we have lost one, they send us a 'sign' a day or so afterwards. Sometimes it's really strange, like finding a dog ornament (which wasn't ours) sitting in one of the garden borders, far away from where anyone could have thrown it. And sometimes we've had anomalies show up on photos (not the ones I put up on facebook recently, but others that were interacting with our other dogs.)
                    I think they just want us to know they're okay.
                    www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                    Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                      #11
                      Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                      Tylluan, I've never had that experience but I've heard of a lot of stories like that. My little brother said that something interesting happened after we lost our dog but I can't remember what, I'll have to ask him again (folks in the house have a bad habit of ignoring every claim of the supernatural my little brother makes saying that he's just a little kid). I do like to think they want us to know they're happy though. Pets are the most purely loving and devoted beings in our lives in a lot of cases and I think that probably transcends physical death.

                      - - - Updated - - -

                      Originally posted by Medusa View Post
                      Cats do it too.


                      Edit. I wasn't going to add this, but I don't want to be too silent about this situation either. Humans do it too. When I was at my mother's bedside for 9 hours, she waited till I left and 15 minutes later died. She didn't want me there.
                      I've heard that before too.
                      I'm really sorry about your mother Medusa. I know you've probably heard that a lot but.

                      selume proferre

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                        #12
                        Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                        Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
                        Not sure whether anyone else has had this experience after losing a pet (and before anyone asks, I can't prove it and I don't mind if you think I'm bonkers for this) but whenever we have lost one, they send us a 'sign' a day or so afterwards. Sometimes it's really strange, like finding a dog ornament (which wasn't ours) sitting in one of the garden borders, far away from where anyone could have thrown it. And sometimes we've had anomalies show up on photos (not the ones I put up on facebook recently, but others that were interacting with our other dogs.)
                        I think they just want us to know they're okay.
                        I don't believe in that sort of thing. As in signs from the dead. But...I do have to say this. I lost my dog and my cat when I was in my 20s. Still to this day, they show up in my dreams in the same house. As years have moved on, they have sometimes been waiting for me outside the back door. In bad times they have become feral and aggressive. Almost zombie like. It's been a while since they've shown up. I almost imagine it as my mind's memory of finally deteriorating them to their death and to wherever it is they go.

                        Now that I think about it, not such a warm and fuzzy tale. Sorry folks.
                        Satan is my spirit animal

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                          #13
                          Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                          Originally posted by Medusa View Post
                          I don't believe in that sort of thing. As in signs from the dead. But...I do have to say this. I lost my dog and my cat when I was in my 20s. Still to this day, they show up in my dreams in the same house. As years have moved on, they have sometimes been waiting for me outside the back door. In bad times they have become feral and aggressive. Almost zombie like. It's been a while since they've shown up. I almost imagine it as my mind's memory of finally deteriorating them to their death and to wherever it is they go.

                          Now that I think about it, not such a warm and fuzzy tale. Sorry folks.
                          Medusa, I quite understand. It's just my own personal experience here. And if someone had told me years ago that I would end up believe in fairies I would have had hysterics.... until I actually saw them. Until I filmed them. Weird stuff. But obviously just my own experience.

                          When I get bad times, my father comes and tells me he loves me. Whether he does or not, I need to hear that.
                          www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                          Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                            #14
                            Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                            Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
                            Medusa, I quite understand. It's just my own personal experience here. And if someone had told me years ago that I would end up believe in fairies I would have had hysterics.... until I actually saw them. Until I filmed them. Weird stuff. But obviously just my own experience.

                            When I get bad times, my father comes and tells me he loves me. Whether he does or not, I need to hear that.
                            Oh I won't deny at this point that those things may happen. I have a house in my head (my grandmother's house) that I call 'the Dead House'. In it are only the people who have died in my life. My father died when I was 11. And I would periodically dream of him in that house. But I could never reach him. Either it's too dark and no matter how I tried to work the lamps, no light would work. Or I could not speak. I would pick up the phone and call and no one could quite hear me. Or I would try to reach out. And as I would reach my father's hand (though his face was always blurred) I would sink into the carpet. In fact that was only once. Every other time I knew he was in the house around the hall corner or something. But I always would miss him in passing. With my mother though? She has been the only dead one to actually be in my dreams alive and happy and her 'self'.

                            I think, for me, my spirit is quite an atheist. I have just stopped fighting it and just go along with it.
                            Satan is my spirit animal

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                              #15
                              Re: Dogs going off to die alone, any theories why?

                              Originally posted by orchestrion View Post
                              Yes there's something really bittersweet about Holly's story. It's kind of a peaceful way to go isn't it?
                              My dog's name was Jaeger. He had to be put to sleep too, which was sad but better than just letting him suffer. It was last year. My little brother was hit pretty hard by it.
                              And yes i'm sure there off frolicking somewhere haha.
                              Im sorry to hear Jaeger died so recently, loosing a dog is hard especially when youre young and cant understand like your bro. But Id say Jaeger is defo off frolicking somewhere now. The one thing about dying is it'll be fun to see all the dogs again! If theyre there waiting for me to pop my clogs itll be a noisey experience

                              I wonder if dogs catch their tails in heaven... cos id say theyd like to but itd probably hurt...Thats a philosoraptor one.

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