‘THEY WILL RECOVER IN TIME’

Ryan Neile, head of behaviour services at national pet charity Blue Cross, says: ‘Responses to losing an owner can vary from one dog to the next. While some might appear to adapt and recover quite quickly, other dogs might appear to experience the loss more deeply.

‘Grieving the loss of a loved family member is a natural process that most dogs recover from in time. We can help our dogs to do this by being patient with them while sticking to their normal routine. Try not to overly compensate by dramatically changing your behaviour or their routine, as this might be confusing for them when things settle back to normal.

‘If you’re concerned about an animal, or your pet isn’t getting better, there are places to turn for help. In most cases, contacting a vet or a trained ABTC animal behaviourist would be the best course of action.’