Wandering off to die?

The Sweeper

I've known of one couple who did it with their cat to their three girls; 24, 19 and 16 years old.

Discodog

convert wrote: »

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, andreac. Nothing personal, but from my experience of dogs wanting to die, they do tend to remove themselves from the most frequented area and go off to find somewhere quiet to die.

One dog went from the yard at the back of the house to a quiet and somewhat secluded area at the front of the house overlooked by her human's bedroom window to die. We buried her there, and there's now a lovely garden seat marking her grave.

Another dog started to wander around the fields (which she didn't normally do unless accompanied by one of us) the day she died. My mum found her and brought her back to stable with warm bedding because she didn't think she looked well. She went in to ring the vet to ask if they'd take a look at her, but when my mum went back out she'd passed away, but was still wrapped up in her blankets on a warm bed.

Although both dogs were old, they were in good spirits and as good shape as can be expected for 12-14 year old dogs.


Oh, and before any of you go jumping down my throat for allowing the dogs to wander, at the time we were living on a farm, and the house and yard were in the centre of the farm, about half a mile from the road. Because we were with the dogs all the time during the day they never wandered (apart from the day they died), and they were left in a big run at night. (The run was actually bigger than the entire garden of the terraced house I was living in until recently! :eek:

Hope you manage to find your dog, OP. Even if you find him dead, at least you'll know where he is and what happened to him. It's not knowing which makes things so unbearable.

Working dogs & those that are kept outside may behave differently. I have had two dogs die a natural death at home. I knew that it was going to happen but not exactly when. Both dogs sought quiet, as we all do if we are ill, but they also knew that I would help them so they stayed very close.

I am not going to raise the indoor/outdoor argument here. Many of us who share our houses, as well as our lives, with dogs believe that we have a closer bond.

Some posters have commented that their dogs would never leave the garden. Everyone involved in rescue has ended up with these dogs. No matter how reliable you think a dog is it can never be totally relied upon. A neighbour's little dog lived outdoors for 6 years & it never went near the road until it was killed. No one knows why it chose to cross the road.

boxerly

OP please please post your dogs photos on all of the rescue sites,someone may recognise him.Maybe an elderly person took the dog in and has no internet or car or means of getting around to put up posters.Id be calling to all the neighbours,putting up posters,contacting guards, vets, pounds rescues,schools etc.Id also check the net all the time.The amount of dogs that have reunited because of peoples good will is amazng xx.I myself look at the dogs in the pounds and scour the net to see if there is one missing like it.A few weeks ago there was a dog missing and weeks later he turned up in the pound.I text the owner just in case and guess what it was his dog.He was so happy and went straight to the pound and got his dog.It was actually the dogs due day to be pts aswell.Keep trying and searching dont give up just yet x

boxerly

Hope you dont mind:)Ive taken the liberty of posting about Ben on Pets Ireland,please go on and put his picture up and all his details x

Shammy

andreac wrote: »

Dogs dont wander off to die.

Some dogs DO wander off to die , its not that uncommon with sheepdogs living on farms to wander off and die.If a dog is living on a farm he knows the area well as he would have roamed/ worked there regulary , he/she might have a special place where he/she would like to spend its last moments.

Graces7

No experience with dogs of this, but cats , even those eg hand reared and very close to their owners certainly do.

When my present two were so ill with enteritis, caught in the dreadful rescue we saved them from, one went off to do just that. Found a wee hole to die in with that look in his eyes.

we managed to save him.

Another would go and hide if in pain or ill. To die there if we did not intervene; and the last time, he was never found..

ToniTuddle

convert wrote: »

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, andreac. Nothing personal, but from my experience of dogs wanting to die, they do tend to remove themselves from the most frequented area and go off to find somewhere quiet to die.

My dog died at the weekend and he did try to wander off down through the grass. I knew he was about to die but I couldn't stand the thought of him dying out in the rain even if that's where he wanted to die, so moved him into the shed again and stayed with him there.

Dogs definitely can wander off to die esp if they are confused, they wander more.

Graces7 wrote: »

No experience with dogs of this, but cats , even those eg hand reared and very close to their owners certainly do.

Cats are shocking for doing it! My wee Freckles suddenly developed lumps on her body the vets didn't know what they were and then about 2 days later she just disappeared and never returned.

Cats never show they are ill until it's either quite bad or it's too late for them. It's like a defense thing trying to show predators or enemies that they are still in good health even when they aint. The vet told me something along those lines.


OP I really hope he turns up safe somewhere. Keep looking just in case he got confused and wandered off.