A lot of is said about a dog’s loyalty to their human. Less is said about their loyalty to their fellow canines. While most dogs you encounter will be paired up with a human owner, by nature dogs are pack animals, and that pack loyalty can go a long way. In Lanzhou, China, a poor dog was struck dead by a motorist and his friends stood guard over his body, blocking traffic in the name of the pack.
The dogs could be seen trying to help their friend back up, but unfortunately, the poor guy was dead. They stood guard over him for a good long while forcing traffic to swerve around them. An eyewitness seemed to think that the dogs thought he would just hop back up on his feet, the source would go on to say:
“You may not realize it, but dogs do grieve the loss of a companion”
Dogs will show a lot of the same symptoms of grief and depression that humans might exhibit at the loss of a loved one, such as lethargy, loss of appetite, and illness. The clip has gone viral, and you can watch the full video right here.
It’s not only dogs that grieve the departed. It has been observed in many primates, elephants, and even whales, and Sarah Simmons recently posted a photo of a group of ponies standing over a deceased member of their family.
Sarah had some strong word for whoever hit him.
“Broke my heart this morning seeing another pony KILLED on the forest road. Even more that her friends were looking on. I’m sorry to the commoner who’s lost the pony, I hope it’s not someone’s pony I know but I hope by posting this it may make people realize that it’s not just the owner who it upsets but their herd members too,” the post read. “SLOW DOWN DAY/NIGHT ON FOREST ROADS THESE PONIES have more rights to these roads than you do. I will say a few drivers got a few choice words from me this morning even with this poor horse on the side of the road and the others looking on, they still were going too bloody fast.”
It’s quite easy to forget how much we have in common with the animals. Evolution has taken us to a place where we see ourselves as these almighty conquerors of the planet, but the truth is we all grieve loss, celebrate joy and get bored when we’re alone.
