It’s amazing how emotionally intelligent dogs can be. They can form genuine loving friendships with both people and other animals... When a loved one dies, they appear to understand.
And just like people, dogs can even go through their own grieving process. That was the case for one dog, who showed his devotion by visiting his friends' graves every day after they died.
Tricycle is a three-legged golden retriever rescue who lives at Horse Creek Stable Rescue Sanctuary in Mineral Bluff, Georgia.
Living in the farm sanctuary, Tricycle has always had lots of other animals to be friends with. Dogs, llamas, and alpacas are among the special-needs animals accepted by the rescue.
Major, a St. Bernard/mastiff mix, was one of the first animals with whom he formed a bond.
Sadly, Major died in 2016, and Tricycle appeared to be devastated.
Major was buried on the farm, like all the animal’s rescues who pass away, and got his own grave marker. However, after burying him, the rescuers noticed something unusual: Tricycle would remain by the gravesite, mourning his old friend:
He continued to visit for about three days, and his owners realized he was in distress.
"Like many of us, there's a sense of loss that we all need to work through," the sanctuary's owner, Lester Aradi, told People. "Animals, like humans, sense loss."
Tricycle has been seen mourning for all the animals who have died, revealing that he had more than just a special relationship with Major.
Trixie, an alpaca, died recently, and the dog was discovered near her grave.
It’s a beautiful story that shows how real the love between animals can be, and how dogs can have such complex emotions like people do.