When your dog loses a companion

The largest study so far is by Uccheddu and colleagues, published in Scientific Reports in 2022. They surveyed 426 adults in Italy who had lost one dog while another still lived with them. Owners reported the surviving dog seeking more attention, playing less, being less active, sleeping more, becoming more fearful, eating less and vocalizing more; only 13.4 percent noticed no change at all. The changes lasted under two months for 29.4 percent of dogs, two to six months for 32.2 percent and more than six months for 24.9 percent.

An earlier survey from New Zealand and Australia, by Walker, Waran and Phillips in the journal Animals in 2016, covered 159 dogs and found a similar pattern. Thirty-five percent of the dogs demanded more attention, 26 percent became clingy, 34 percent slept more and 30 percent sought out the dead companion's favorite spot; the median change lasted less than six months. Both studies relied on what owners reported, which matters for how far the numbers can be pushed.

Routine is the one thing you can hold steady. Feed at the usual times in the usual place, walk the usual routes and leave the surviving dog's bed where it was. If the pair slept together, the survivor may look for the other at night or settle in its spot; both are common, and nearly a third of dogs in the 2016 survey sought out the companion's place. Let it, rather than moving the bed away.

If the two dogs had a beach habit, keep it: Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 at the time of writing, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd ones. Watch appetite and energy without alarm over small changes. A dog that refuses food or water, or seems ill rather than flat, needs your vet whatever the cause, and sooner if the companion died of something the survivor could catch.

If your dog already comes to Dogtown, keep its days. Its group is 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, the handlers know it, and a familiar morning is one thing that has not changed. Tell the front desk about the loss so the handlers know why the dog may be quieter. If the dog is new to us, book the free evaluation for a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM once it is eating and sleeping steadily.

For a dog alone at home more than before, a solo walk from $25 adds company in the middle of the day, and enrichment add-ons on a daycare day, a frozen Kong at $6 or the sniff room at $7, give a flat dog something to work at. What fits poorly in the first weeks, if you can avoid it, is a long stay somewhere the dog has never been, which stacks a second change on the first. If the drive to Eastern Ave feels like too much in these weeks, the Pup Van collects from homes in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way.