Tears at Grieving Dog’s Shrine To Best Friend: ‘Gut Wrenching’

A heart-wrenching video of a dog mourning the loss of its canine sibling has struck an emotional chord online.

The video, posted by Dani (@danisosa123456789) has gone viral after she shared the clip of her Boxer dog circling around photos of her late best friend displayed on a family wall, has garnered over 638,000 views and over 160,000 likes.

“She misses her best friend,” Dani captioned the video, which shows the pup looking at the photos, going away and then returning to them several times.

People in the comments had been reduced to tears as the video reminded them of the reality of “gut-wrenching” pet grief—many of them reliving their own experiences seeing a pet grieve their furry companions.

One commenter wrote, “Our boxers died within seven days of each other! I always think the other one died of a broken heart.” While another recalled a devastating memory: “When my dog passed away my other two laid in the yard in his favorite spot or on his grave and cried and wouldn’t leave him for months.”

“This made my throat tighten up and the tears instantly fell,” another person wrote. “My best girl passed at 17 almost two years ago. Our Beau excitedly trots to my daughter’s room daily looking for his sister and has for two years.”

Dogs experience grief, too

The stories shared by commenters only validate pre-existing research that animals know and experience losses in their own ways.

A 2022 study published in Scientific Reports found that domestic dogs may display behaviors indicative of grief following the death of a companion dog. Researchers surveyed 426 dog owners who had experienced the death of one of their dogs while another was still alive. The study aimed to record behavioral and emotional changes in the surviving dogs and the factors influencing these changes.

The researchers observed changes in the dogs’ eating and playing habits, along with increased fearfulness and heightened attention-seeking from their owners.

Interestingly, the time the two dogs had spent together among the households surveyed had no effect on the dog’s grieving behaviors.

Dani’s video not only lent credibility to this research but also highlighted a unique bond between dogs of the same breed—particularly Boxers, who often have shorter life spans.

“Boxers live decidedly short lives compared to most other dogs,” one commenter wrote. “That just means they have to love twice as hard while they’re here.”

Perhaps the most bittersweet comment summed up the hope many of these dog owners hold: “Oh, to be her when she finally sees him again. Magical.”

Newsweek reached out to @danisosa123456789 for comment via TikTok.