Grieving Shih Tzu wouldn’t stop staring at his ‘soulmate’s’ old bed after she died — forcing his heartbroken owner to make a painful choice

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of pet loss that some readers may find distressing.

Grief is not something just humans experience. Pets also grieve the death of fellow pet companions. When a Shih Tzu, Leo, lost his 'soulmate' Lily, the owner (@handmadebyhorn) took a painful step to help him cope with the loss. Lily was 13 years old at the time of her passing.

Alabama resident Kimberly adopted Lily from someone whose mother could no longer take care of her. Lily was her rescue dog, who came into her life during a time of deep personal struggles. She was mourning the loss of both her parents while also finalizing her divorce. She had previously lost her dog, Bones, in a house fire, which made her hesitant to adopt Lily. But she went ahead, and it turned out to be the best decision. She told Newsweek, "She saved me, and later I realized I saved her too." Kimberly shared that Lily's previous owner would leave her locked in a bedroom or outside for days. Despite the trauma, Lily’s spirit changed when Leo entered their lives.

Leo was adopted by Kimberly from an overcrowded shelter. When she visited Leo, she was accompanied by Lily, who took an instant liking to the fellow Shih Tzu. "They were very close. We took them everywhere together. They slept together, ate together, and were never too far apart. She (Lily) was like his mom in a way because she always seemed to look out for him," Kimberly recalled.

Years later, a visit to the vet turned their lives upside down. When Kimberly took Lily for a routine dental checkup, the vets found that Lily had mouth cancer. Although chemotherapy was an option, the vets informed that it would only prolong Lily’s life by a couple of months. Kimberly also felt it wasn't fair for her dog to undergo such treatment, as she was already 13 years old. Lily made it to Christmas but passed away shortly after. While her death devastated Kimberly, Leo took it the hardest.

In a video shared by Kimberly on TikTok, a montage showed two clips: one of Lily and Leo running happily to their beds, and another of a heartbroken Leo staring at Lily’s empty bed where his "soulmate" once slept. Seeing his pain, Kimberly decided to get him a new bed, away from where they usually slept. “Leo still seems a little sad at times, but I'm not sure if I'm putting my feelings on him or he really is sad,” explained Kimberly.

A 2022 Scientific Reports study found that the dog that survived showed changes in behavior, such as playing, sleeping, and eating, and in emotions, including increased fearfulness, after the death of its companion. The study surveyed 426 participants who owned more than one dog. It focused on the behavioral shift of surviving pets after losing their sibling. These changes depended on the quality of the relationship between the two animals. As underlined in the study, Leo displayed signs of grief after the untimely death of his canine sibling. 

For more pet videos, you can follow @handmadebyhorn on TikTok.

If you’re grieving the loss of a companion animal, please reach out to Cornell Pet Loss Support Hotline at 1‑607‑218‑7457.