Navigating life after a pet passes can be difficult as you’re surrounded by little reminders of your furry friend, such as their leash or bed. But one parent decided to keep feeding her dog, who passed months ago, for a heartbreaking reason.
Owner Freya took to TikTok asking if others are “normal” or if they also continue to “feed” their dead dog like she does. She immediately jumped into her reasoning, while she began preparing two separate dog food bowls in her August 26 TikTok video posted to her account @freyamje.
Her dog, Jake, lived a long and beautiful life, passing at the age of 16. During his time in the family, Jake became a protector. He took his little doggy sibling, a rescue Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Bella, under his wing. The two started a tradition during mealtime where he would leave a bit of his food in the bowl, which Bella would scarf down after eating her own.
But when he passed, Freya debated whether to continue this tradition. She knew how much it had become Bella’s favorite part of the day, and not wanting to take that away, she decided to “feed” Jake, and she has been every day since.
She’ll only add a bit of food scraps to Jake’s bowl. Then she places it down in Jake’s usual spot, for old times’ sake. Bella will trot over when she’s done, happily finishing off her sibling’s portion.
In the video, Freya said Bella’s favorite part of the day is when she finishes her breakfast and then runs over to Jake’s bowl and chows the few pieces left for her. Freya told Newsweek via TikTok that she wasn’t surprised Bella continued this tradition, as she finds it comforting.
“Bella loved her brother, and she’s a creature of habit,” she said. “So when she continued to run straight over to his bowl and expect the food to be in there, we just knew we could never stop.”
Touched and a bit heartbroken, people flooded the TikTok video, and as of Monday, the clip reached over 219,000 views.
“Honestly, if it keeps her happy, why change it. You’re not wasting food, she’s not getting anything extra, you’re not buying more food for the purpose of doing it. She’s happy and that’s all that matters,” a viewer pointed out.
A second person said: “Animals grieve too. I bet this really comforts her.”
Another added: “What a beautiful way to honor a lost friend.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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