What Happens to a Dog When Its Owner Dies?

Those of us who share our lives with a dog know that, by nature, they're the ones who'll pass away first, since a dog's life expectancy is around fifteen years for small breeds and around twelve for large ones.

That said, it could happen that we're the ones who pass away, from illness, an accident, or any other cause, leaving our dog without a caretaker or family, if we live alone with it. So, what happens to dogs when their owners die? Let's look in detail at what the law says.

Animal Protection Law Regarding Dogs

Every country has different animal protection legislation, but we can take as an example the new animal protection law passed in Spain, which lets us leave instructions for our dog in our will. This way, if something happened to us, our will could specify who would become responsible for our dog and its care.

This practice is actually the one most recommended by every expert — assigning a caretaker for our dog while we're alive, in case we pass away. This makes it much easier for the relevant authorities to find a new family for our beloved dog.

What Will Happen to My Dog When I Die?

Our dog will keep being cared for by our family — that's what the law provides for. According to legal advisors, the authorities will look for a family setting to take in our dog if we lived alone and didn't designate a caretaker for it. So, they'll contact our direct family members to see who wants to adopt our dog.

If no family members are found who want to take our dog in, it will end up in a state of abandonment, and it'll be the local government/city council that takes charge of it. Generally, in these cases, dogs end up in a pound waiting to be adopted or euthanized.

Since no one wants that for their dog, we stress the need to designate a legal guardian for our dog's care while we're alive, since you never know what might happen. Accidents happen every day, and unfortunately, it could happen to us like it could to anyone else.

What Can I Do So My Dog Is Cared for When I'm Gone?

Finding a close family member and asking them to care for our dog if something ever happens to us is the best option to guarantee that, when we're gone, our dog will still have a home and care. If we have no family or friends to turn to, we can also arrange something with an animal shelter, so it takes over its care or finds it a family to look after it.

Obviously, we need to do this while we're alive, since if there's no family or friends to take our dog in when we pass away, it'll be the city council or local government that takes charge of our dog, but in a state of abandonment.

Will My Dog Miss Me?

Of course it will — just like people, dogs also go through grief when they lose their humans. Even when a dog loses another dog it lived with, it has to work through grief, so the answer to whether our dog will miss us is a resounding yes.

You've surely heard the story of Hachikō, the dog who waited for his owner for years until he died of old age. It's a completely true story that shows the real affection dogs can feel for their humans.

What Do Dogs Do When Their Humans Die?

Grief can show up differently in each dog, but sadness is always at its core. Some dogs simply spend their days and nights howling, looking for a response from another howl, or simply as an expression of sadness. Other dogs even stop eating and get sick, needing help to overcome their loss.

Others, though, show no emotional or physical change at all, but they'll always miss us and wait for our return. Many animal behaviorists agree that it's important for a dog to see its deceased human, or even their grave, so it knows they've died and doesn't wait for them its whole life, thinking they've simply not come home yet.