12/27/2025
About grief in the dogs.
I’ve been objectively watching Meeko & Tupper ever since Nala passed. We have kept their routines the same. Feeding, playtime, outside time.
There have been brief moments where Nala has been so much of the routine, I can see the dogs looking for that step. The very first let out and the very last, Nala would do her patrol around the house. Meeko would stand on the side of the house, as far as his run would let him, waiting for her. The first couple days, he did exactly that. Although, it was easier to call him inside.
I threw a ball for Tupper today that was Nala’s - and ONLY Nala’s. He chased it, but did not pick it up and bring it back. Whether it’s because he doesn’t understand how to pick it up by the handle, or because he was corrected one to many times by her for trying to get it, I’m not sure.
The point is, they are not really grieving. There is no big display of sadness or stages of grief to go through. The best thing we did was to keep their routines exactly the same. They may realize she’s not there. They may be picking up on small routine changes. They may even have conditioned responses to things like Nala’s ball. But they are still just living their lives.
