Posted on 03/14/2005 12:39:35 AM PST by ambrose
Faithful pet overcome by grief
By Kristen Smith
March 14, 2005 From:
JESS is as faithful as a dog can be, having spent five days lying on his dead owner's body. The backdoor to the house of his master Neville Greenwood was open when the 74-year-old man died, but Jess wasn't going anywhere without him.
When paramedics arrived at the house in Brisbane's north and tried to coax Jess away from his deceased companion, the dog growled at them.
Nev and Jess, a cattle-dog cross, were inseparable according to neighbours.
"You would never see Nev without him," said Mr Greenwood's neighbour, Tara.
"Nev wasn't worried about dying, he thought every day was a bonus.
"He always said if Jess died he'd want to be dead too."
And it seems the reverse is true. Jess is a one-man dog, something confirmed by relatives of Mr Greenwood who described him as "really aggressive".
His new carers, staff at the RSPCA, are at a loss as to what to do with Jess.
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said Jess was pining for his master.
"He's very very sad. He cowers in the corner and growls. He's definitely not a very happy pooch," Mr Beatty said. "He's going to be reassessed on Monday but he's probably not able to be helped.
"At this stage he's not definitely going to be put to sleep but it does seem like that might be the kindest thing to do."
Jess growled at handlers yesterday when they tried to enter his cage.
"He cries a lot at night," one staffer said.
Tara has approached the RSPCA about the possibility of taking Jess' body if he is euthanased.
"I want to have him cremated, so they can be together again. Given what Nev said about Jess dying I think Jess feels the same way too," she said.
"I went and saw (Jess) last week and he's not the same dog. He used to be pretty feisty, he won't know what to do without Nev. It's really sad."
The RSPCA said Jess' age, estimated to be 12 years, posed a particular problem in terms of the potential for rehabilitation.
The RSPCA said it was unclear whether Jess' aggression resulted from the trauma of having spent five days alone with his deceased master.
--our's would pine away after the hub just like she did for his extended business trip.
I spent four days in the hospital in July and my dog wouldn't eat and would only move if he really HAD to go to the bathroom. He's a rescue that I've had for two years. He used to like to ride in the car but now it stresses him and I think he's afraid he will be taken to yet another home. I think I would die without him.
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