A surprise snow cropped up this afternoon, with lots of heavies flakes lighting up the Winter Pasture and making some beauty.
Liam died this morning, and I always pay close attention to how the other animals react. Liam was the flock leader, mild-mannered wether. When Liam was shot, the sheep came up and looked at him; one or two sniffed to try and catch his scent, including his mother, Suzie.
Two minutes later, they had all moved on, heads down, picking up the droppings from the hay feeder.
After watching this scene repeated for some years, I sense that the sheep were keenly aware of Liam’s sickness and decline. But not in an emotional way, in an instinctive way.
I also believe they understood that he was dead or gone. They came in to check. . Animals know what they need to know, not what we need them to know.
Sick animals are a grave danger to the herd or flock, and sheep, like donkeys, are prey animals. Sick animals draw predators, so their flock or herd will push them away, sometimes violently, or stay clear of them.
The donkeys and sheep showed no visible signs of alarm or grief, or loss. They did what animals do; they returned to basics – eating and grazing. They teach me repeatedly how to accept life and not argue with it or try to change it.
People project all kinds of mourning and grief on dogs; I’ve never bought it, I’ve never seen it, I don’t believe it. Animals love routine and get rattled when it changes, but they have no idea what grief is since they really have no idea what death is.
One goes hand in hand with the other. Pack and herd animals are keenly aware of one another, but we often confuse anxiety, confusion, and instinct with grief because we only know what we feel.
Let dogs be dogs, one trainer told me. I agree. Let animals be animals.
They teach me to change the things I can change and accept what I can’t. I love heavy snowflakes; the camera also loves them.
The snow dog was thrilled to be rolling in the snow, eating it, and dancing on the ice. She loves eating donkey manure and sheep droppings too. She is loving. She is disgusting. She is a lab, a great dog in a snowstorm.
RIP Liam.
I just watched a 3 part series on wild canids around the world on PBS Nature. I was most struck by the part on African Wild Dogs dying of “broken heart” after grieving their separation from their pack. Humans have rarely given other animals their due and we so often underestimate them.
Jean, I know how you feel, but I would be careful of drinking every new series that proves how much like people and animal are. Media have been emotionalizing animals for years now; it’s profitable and what people wish to see and believe. Nobody wants to see a series about how wild animals move on when mates die..just like rescue dogs do all over the country. Read “Mama’s Hug..”
But the signs of broken hearts are exactly the same as the signs of powerful instincts that kick in in animals when they lose their breeding partners..they get very upset and confused and uneasy, as nature has programmed them to do for most reasons of recreation…I hate to play scrooge but honest scientists say they have no idea what animals are really thinking and feeling Animals get lonely and hate losing their mates for the same reasons people do…that’s how nature made us, that’s how we mate and create new animals..
This reminded me of Rose-thought you might like it…
https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/11bw1ri/a_border_collie_carefully_guides_a_bunch_of/
Love the photo of Maria’s studio in the black and white, perfectly framed between the two tall many-limbed trees, and with mini-versions of itself in the perfectly centered birdhouse, and also the chicken coop.
Looks like a pencil drawing. Would make a great postcard?
I had a Lab that was 16 and starting to fail. I alerted the vet that it was getting close. One very cold December 25th night she walked down the deck steps and collapsed on the lawn. She couldn’t get up. I rolled her onto a blanket and hauled her up the steps one by one. I put her inside and figured she would live or die that night. It was Christmas. Nothing open. The next morning she was up and moving but such sad eyes. I took her in to be put down. My other dog, her eight year old daughter, sniffed the grass that day, sniffed the blanket she had laid on and then climbed onto the couch next to me. That was that.
Jon, I would appreciate your opinion on something relating to animal loss. I have an Airedale and my best friend owns her sister. They are littermates. They don’t live together but see each other often and are very bonded. My friend and I have had discussions about what we should do when one of our dogs dies or has to be put down. Do you think the other dog should be present when the first one is put down? I’m not sure how dogs think in terms of loss, but we worry about the surviving dog being confused or upset when she comes over to the house and can’t find her sister. On the other hand, would the other dog be frightened if she was in the room during the euthanasia process? Maybe I’m giving them too much credit for intelligence. I would appreciate any thoughts you or other readers might have. Thanks.
Daryl, thanks for thinking of me, but it’s not something I can speak without knowing the dog or the people…
very good piece, Jon (beautiful pics too). Your observation of the animals behavior prior to and after losing a flock/herd member is right on the money, IMO. They certainly seem to intuitively sense impending illness or death…..no matter what type of animal it is, yet I have also found (in my experience of unexpectedly losing a donkey who was only 8)…….that her companion donkey patiently stood by her while she was dying…..(our Vet had suggested this) and stayed close to her body afterwards during the few hours it took us to arrange to move the body……… but once the body was gone, the remaining donkey trotted up to the neighbors and joined their donkey family……..and carried on. I did observe some confusion and *awareness* initially……but no, I would not refer to it as grief either. The grief was purely mine.
Susan M