The reason an owner’s two dogs wouldn’t spread out on the sidewalk during their walks together quickly brought people to tears.
While taking her dogs on a walk one day, Talon Majors noticed the two were oddly close together. Confused, she wondered why they didn’t give each other more room. But then it dawned on her: the extra space used to be occupied by her other canine, Hiro, who recently passed.
Hiro the husky used to stand on the left, closest to the street. The other large dog stood to the right. The two kept the smallest one safe in the middle. Each canine knew which spot belonged to them and kept it the same during every walk.
Despite Hiro no longer with them, her other dogs didn’t want to mess up the order. In the March 17 TikTok video under her account @talonmajors, she showed the gap her pups left open for Hiro’s usual spot.
Majors told Newsweek that Hiro was 15 when he died. He lived a full life with “adventures, attitude and mischief,” she said in a separate video. But, now, she is navigating a new normal without her canine companion. She said she sobs during the walks without him and wonders how long her dogs will “leave his space on the sidewalk.”
Screenshots from a March 17 TikTok video of an owner crying, left, while walking her two dogs after realizing why they left a spot on the sidewalk, right.
@talonmajors/TikTok
With over 3.7 million views and nearly 680,000 likes on TikTok, viewers joined Majors in sobbing. People were “devastated” and felt “unwell” after seeing the two canines still wanting to include Hiro.
“This would shatter me! Sending you a hug because wow,” wrote one viewer.
Another added: “They’re grieving too. they’ll move over when they’re ready. sorry for your loss.”
A third person commented: “Hey animals can see things we can’t. He could still be right there on that walk. Sending you love.”
Do Dogs Grieve?
While inevitable, having to say goodbye to a pet is the worst part about being an owner. Your home feels empty. Your routines change. And, along with navigating the new normal, your other pets might feel lost and confused. Like us, dogs grieve, too.
An article from the American Kennel Club shared the following symptoms of grief to look for in dogs after their friend passes.
- Withdrawal from people and other pets
- Lack of appetite
- Lethargic
- Inappropriate elimination within the home
- Unusual aggression, destructiveness or calling out and vocalizing
- Searching for their companion
- Becoming clingy and following the owner around
While these dog behaviors can be frustrating, it is part of their grieving process. Do not harshly punish your dog. Instead, continue to shower them with love and praise while gently discouraging or redirecting the unwanted behavior.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our “Pet of the Week” lineup.
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