37

My dog passed away a few days ago. He ran away from home early in the morning, and by the time we found him it was late afternoon and he was very weak, on the brink of death. Soon after we brought him home, he drifted off and stopped breathing.

I was feeling very horrible thinking about what might have happened to him in the hours before we found him, and that he might still be alive if we had somehow stopped him from running away. But a few people comforted me, saying that a lot of old dogs run away from home when its time to die. Perhaps they like to die alone?

I'm wondering if there's any truth to this?

Notability: http://www.ehow.com/info_12047757_dogs-run-away-dying.html

George Chalhoub
  • 30,246
  • 14
  • 129
  • 136
Yvonne Liew
  • 535
  • 4
  • 9
  • 9
    not proof, but my cat also ran away to die, and i was also told that this was common that animals like a secluded place to die. so a +1 on this being a claim – Himarm Sep 22 '15 at 14:26
  • 6
    The same is said for [elephants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephants'_graveyard) – March Ho Sep 25 '15 at 05:00
  • 1
    [Cross-posted on Pets.](http://pets.stackexchange.com/questions/10364/do-old-dogs-run-away-to-die) Please don't do this. – HDE 226868 Sep 25 '15 at 23:25
  • @nomenagentis: What kind of evidence would convince you? – George Chalhoub Sep 26 '15 at 16:23
  • 2
    @ HDE 226868 Are we not supposed to cross-post? Apologies, I didn't know. – Yvonne Liew Sep 28 '15 at 01:57
  • Run away from what? Run away to be alone? Or are they alone and then run away to not be alone? – Raystafarian Sep 30 '15 at 16:43
  • 6
    I heard a variation on this from a vet in which animals that are below par (from wounds or sickness) hide to escape unwelcome attention while they wait to heal/strength. In that scenario the running away isn't "to die" as such, it's just that this time they didn't make it. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Nov 01 '15 at 16:57
  • 3
    Running away to die is not one of the recognized symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction affecting geriatric dogs researched here-http://www.ava.com.au/sites/default/files/AVA_website/pdfs/NSW_Division/VETS%20%2B%20NURSES%20COMBINED%20-%20Kersti%20Seksel%20-%20Canine%20Cognitive%20Dysfunction.pdf, here-http://animalnecessity.com/doc/research/Serenin/Behavior-Problems-in-a-Dog.pdf and here-http://www.banfield.com/getmedia/7a12c617-3ec6-4a67-9fdb-ede9273f5f9c/673ef271-4b8a-44e3-94e3-5c2ebb2ed01b-pdf0 – pericles316 Dec 08 '15 at 12:42

1 Answers1

2

According to The Complete Tracker, 2nd edition: Tracks, Signs, and Habits of North American Wildlife, Chapter 12, DOGS (CANIDAE), page 117

Pack members are brought food if they become sick or injured, but these wolves often leave the pack voluntarily

See also On the effects of domestication on canine social development and behavior

deposed alpha animals are either ejected from the pack, leave the pack voluntarily

DavePhD
  • 103,432
  • 24
  • 436
  • 464