It’s incredible how intuitive and emotionally intelligent our pets can be. They always seem to be able to sense what’s going on.
One sad example: pets seem to know when a loved one has passed away. They understand when someone has died, and are even able to grieve for them.
When one old dog was set to be euthanized, his dog brothers seemed to understand the situation… and said goodbye in way that left the owners heartbroken.
A Reddit user named Rawtashk shared his story. He adopted a Malinois dog named Josef, or Sef for short, as a rescue in 2007 to be a companion for his other dog: “It was love at first sight as this goofy and gangly puppy bounded over,” he recalled.
Sef quickly proved to be a happy, sociable pet: “He loved humans. He rarely played at the dog park because he spent the whole time there going from person to person and leaning up against them in hopes that they would pet him.”
But by 2016, Sef’s health started declining. “At first we thought he’d twisted something in his leg, but the lameness progressed… It turned out to be a nerve sheath tumor.”
More health problems followed in the ensuing years. Sef was slowing down, and eventually it got to the point that his owner decided he had suffered enough.
With a heavy heart, he arranged at-home euthanasia for Sef.
It’s a moment every dog owner dreads… but that morning Rawtashk noticed something unusual:
His other dogs seemed to understand that Sef was dying, and spent the whole day “saying goodbye” to their brother:
The photo shows the heartbroken dogs seemingly kissing their old friend, somehow aware that it will be the last time.
The veterinarian arrived and put Sef to sleep. The old dog died peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones.
And in another heartbreaking gesture of grief, one of the dogs, who always lays on the couch or in his dog bed, laid down beside his old friend:
After spending over a decade caring for the Sef, seeing him put to sleep was a difficult experience for Rawtashk. But in the end, he was simply grateful for the time they had together.
“Thanks for going on that 11 year journey with me,” he wrote. “I loved every minute of it. I hope you had a wonderful time.”
He had Sef cremated, and placed the ashes on his bookshelf… fittingly in the company of his first dog, who Sef knew years ago.
“They were best friends for 8 years until the first one passed, so they’ll be together again.”
It’s a sad story, but one that shows how emotionally intelligent animals can be. These dogs really knew they were saying goodbye to their friend.
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