Dogs understand a lot. They can recognize human words, gestures, and emotions, and learn to work as service dogs or emotional support animals. But do dogs know when they are dying?
Through my work as a general practitioner, and as a pet parent myself, I have observed many moments leading up to a dog’s death. Even though I’ve participated in these experiences, there’s no way to know for certain what’s going through a dog’s mind in their final moments.
We do know, however, that they are at least aware that death is near by sensing the changes that are happening in their bodies.
Have you ever wondered if your dog understands when a loved one passes away? The day I said goodbye to my old dog, Finn, I witnessed something that broke my heart even further – his canine companion, Tiny, searching every room, sniffing his bed, and letting out soft, broken whines. This experience made me question: do dogs truly understand human death?
As pet parents we form incredible bonds with our furry friends but the connection goes both ways. When we lose someone close to us, our dogs often seem to sense something has changed. But are they actually understanding death, or simply responding to our emotions?
Can Dogs Truly Understand Death?
Dogs don’t understand death as an abstract concept the way humans do. They don’t contemplate mortality or grasp the permanence of death intellectually. However, what they do understand is absence.
Dogs notice changes – the missing scents, sounds, and routines that made up their daily lives. When a human family member passes away, dogs detect:
- The absence of familiar smells
- Changes in household routines
- Shifts in the emotional atmosphere
- The missing presence of someone they were bonded with
While they may not understand “death” conceptually, they certainly notice when someone important vanishes from their life, and this absence can trigger behaviors that look remarkably like grief
How Dogs Sense Illness and Death
Dogs live in a sensory-rich world dominated by smell. Their extraordinary noses can detect subtle changes in our body chemistry that we humans can’t even imagine.
According to animal ethologist Marc Bekoff, dogs can often sense illness before death because they detect scent changes in the human body. When someone is gravely ill or dying, their body chemistry alters, producing different scents that our canine companions can pick up on.
This explains why so many hospice workers report stories of dogs becoming protective, attentive, or even depressed when their owners are in the final stages of life. They’re not reading minds – they’re reading bodily changes through their incredible sense of smell.
Signs Your Dog Is Grieving a Human Death
According to research published in Scientific Reports that surveyed multi-dog households where one dog had died, over 85% of owners observed behavioral changes in their surviving dogs. Though this study focused on dogs grieving other dogs, many of these same behaviors appear when dogs lose a human companion.
If your dog is grieving a human loss, you might notice:
- Increased attention-seeking (about 67% of grieving dogs show this)
- Reduced playfulness and activity (around 57%)
- Increased sleep (35%)
- Heightened fearfulness (35%)
- Loss of appetite (32%)
- More frequent vocalization (30%)
Other common signs include:
- Refusing to enter certain rooms where they spent time with the person
- Searching the house as if looking for the missing person
- Sniffing bedding or belongings intensely
- Waiting by doors or windows
These behaviors aren’t just “acting out” – they’re your dog’s way of processing a change they don’t fully understand.
A Personal Story of Canine Grief
My colleague Danielle shared her personal experience with dog grief after losing her beloved Chihuahua
“What I didn’t expect was how deeply it would affect my other dog, Daisy. She paced the house, unsettled, as if searching for a rhythm that no longer existed. She clung to me in a way I had never seen before, shadowing me from room to room, even nudging her way into the bathroom.
Her grief spilled into the smallest details, ignoring her food, refusing the comfort of her own bed. That bed had always been hers, but it had also been shared with our sweet Chi. For weeks, she would not sleep there.”
This story mirrors what many pet owners experience when a human family member passes. Dogs often search for the missing person, show anxiety when separated from remaining family members, and may refuse to engage with activities they once enjoyed.
The Difference Between Grief and Anxiety in Dogs
It’s important to distinguish between grief and anxiety in our canine companions. While they can look similar, there are subtle differences:
Grief behaviors typically include:
- Searching for the deceased person
- Sleeping more than usual
- Loss of appetite
- Vocalizing at unusual times
- Withdrawal from play or favorite activities
Anxiety behaviors more commonly show up when the dog is left alone:
- Destructive chewing or scratching doors
- House soiling even when housetrained
- Excessive panting or drooling
- Constant pacing until you return
- Immediate relief once you’re home
The key difference is in the triggers. Grief tends to appear around routines, objects, or times connected to the lost person, while anxiety is triggered by your absence.
The Science of Dogs and Human Death
The bond between humans and dogs is rooted in biology. Studies on human-dog interaction have found that simply petting or spending time with an owner increases a dog’s oxytocin levels – the same “bonding hormone” that connects parents and children.
When that bond is broken through death, dogs can experience real physiological and emotional stress. While they may not understand the concept of death, they certainly feel the impact of separation from someone they loved.
This explains famous stories like that of Hachikō, the Akita in Japan who waited at a train station for nearly 10 years after his owner’s death. While Hachikō may not have understood that his owner had died, he certainly felt the absence and maintained the routine of waiting, hoping for a reunion that would never come.
Do Dogs Remember Deceased Humans Years Later?
Some dogs do seem to remember people who have passed away, especially if they were deeply bonded. Familiar scents, places, or even certain sounds can trigger these memories.
One dog owner shared: “It’s been three years since my husband passed, and sometimes my dog still perks up at the sound of a car that sounds like his. She’ll run to the door and wait, then slowly walk back to her bed when she realizes it’s not him.”
These moments of recognition suggest that while dogs may not understand death conceptually, their emotional memory of the people they loved remains intact.
How to Help Your Dog Through Human Loss
When a dog is grieving the loss of a human family member, they need stability, patience, and gentle encouragement. Here’s what you can do to help:
- Stick to routines – Meals, walks, and bedtime should remain as predictable as possible
- Give extra affection – Petting, grooming, and quiet companionship can offer comfort
- Keep things familiar – Surround them with familiar people, scents, and objects
- Maintain exercise – Walking and light play encourage endorphin release
- Offer mental enrichment – Puzzle toys and brain training games help keep their mind active
- Let them rest – Some dogs need quiet time as much as play
- Monitor eating and drinking – Watch for significant changes that might require vet attention
When to Seek Professional Help
Most grieving dogs start to improve within a few months. But if grief turns into prolonged depression, it’s time to talk to your vet or a certified canine behaviorist.
Watch for these warning signs:
- Refusing food for more than 24-48 hours
- Noticeable weight loss
- Sudden changes in bathroom habits
- Lethargy that doesn’t improve
- Worsening of existing conditions
Stress hormones like cortisol can weaken the immune system if they remain elevated for too long, making senior dogs or those with chronic illnesses especially vulnerable.
Should Your Dog See the Deceased Person?
This is a question many pet owners struggle with. Some experts believe that allowing a dog to see and sniff their deceased owner may help them process the change. Without this, they may continue searching, unsure where their human companion went.
However, this isn’t right for every dog – some may become stressed or agitated by the experience. It’s a personal decision that should be based on your dog’s temperament and comfort level.
Can a New Human Relationship Help?
While no one can replace the bond your dog had with the deceased person, forming new connections can help your dog heal. Dogs are remarkably adaptable and can form multiple meaningful attachments throughout their lives.
If your dog has lost their primary caregiver, try to:
- Ensure the new caregiver maintains familiar routines
- Transfer knowledge about the dog’s preferences and habits
- Allow time for a new bond to form naturally
- Recognize that the relationship will be different, but can still be loving
Other Animals Who Grieve
Dogs aren’t the only animals who show signs of mourning. An entire field of science called comparative thanatology (the study of how animals respond to death) has documented grief-like behaviors across many social species.
Barbara J. King, emerita professor of anthropology and author of “How Animals Grieve,” has documented mourning behaviors in:
- Wolves and Coyotes: Wild canids linger near deceased packmates
- Elephants: Touch and guard bodies of fallen herd members
- Primates: Chimpanzees and gorillas carry deceased infants for days
- Birds: Corvids like crows gather around dead flockmates in “funeral gatherings”
These examples suggest that grief isn’t uniquely human – it’s a response to deep social bonds that many animals experience, including our beloved dogs.
Final Thoughts
Our dogs may not understand the concept of death the way we do, but they certainly feel the absence of those they love. Their grief is real, even if it takes different forms than human mourning.
By recognizing and respecting our dogs’ emotional experiences, we can help them navigate the difficult journey of loss – just as they so often help us through our own grief with their unwavering presence and love.
When we lose someone, our dogs are often there for us, offering silent comfort and unconditional love. The least we can do is return that favor when they’re struggling to understand why someone they loved is suddenly gone from their lives.
If you’ve walked alongside your dog as they grieved the loss of a human companion, you know it’s a heartbreaking journey. But with patience, love, and understanding, both you and your dog can find a way forward together.
Can Dogs Sense Death?
It’s been shown that dogs have uncanny abilities to detect medical issues, such as cancer, oncoming episodes of medical crisis (such as seizures), or anxiety. There is anecdotal evidence that dogs can also sense death, but how they process and perceive this information is still being debated and researched.
Dogs have a strong sense of smell that allows them to pick up on changes that can happen to a body. Research has shown that dogs can literally smell things like stress in humans. Changes associated with death occur months before the event takes place. These changes can affect subtle differences in the smell of a person or another animal, an indicator that death is near.
When it comes to the possibility of their own death, they are at least aware that they are not feeling well or are sick. They can also sense our levels of stress and know that something is wrong. However, canine companions are not as self-assessing as humans about death. They don’t assign meaning and complex emotions to it; it’s just a fact that it happens.
Making the Decision to Euthanize
While the ability to end suffering is a gift that we can give to our canine companions, the decision can be difficult. Pet parents do not want to see their dog suffer, and they also do not want to end their dog’s life because of one bad day, when there may be many good days beyond that point.
It’s helpful to have a plan in place and use Quality of Life resources developed by vets for this exact purpose. Use these Quality of Life guidelines and worksheets and work with your vet to determine if there really are more bad days than good:
You know your dog best, and your vet can give you an objective viewpoint on your pet’s pain level and options. While a Quality of Life scale is not an exact science, it can help give you the confidence needed to make the most difficult decision to let go.
Can other animals understand death? – Barbara J. King
FAQ
How do dogs react when a person dies?
… the survey respondents also reported that grieving dogs became less active in general, more fearful, slept more and were more prone to whining or barkingFeb 25, 2022
What do dogs do when they sense death in humans?
When sensing impending human death, dogs often display behavioral changes like increased closeness, unusual protectiveness, gentle licking or nuzzling, altered sleeping and eating habits, and more withdrawal or anxiety. Their actions are likely triggered by sensing subtle scent or behavioral changes in a dying person or hearing and smelling changes associated with death, like altered body chemistry or the sounds of sirens.
Can a dog sense a dead person?
Do dogs mourn their owners’ death?
Yes, dogs mourn their owners, displaying behavioral changes such as lethargy, loss of appetite, increased anxiety, and decreased interest in playing, which can last for several months. While the exact duration and intensity of grief vary between dogs, they are sentient beings capable of forming deep emotional bonds and experience sadness and confusion after a loss. Maintaining a normal routine and providing extra love and attention can help a grieving dog cope.