When one family had to say a heartbreaking goodbye to their beloved pocket bully, Lucy, they never expected their other dog, Reggie, to mourn her in such a touching way.
In a viral TikTok clip, Reggie can be seen slowly padding across the backyard patio, Lucy’s collar gently clasped in his mouth — a gesture he repeated all morning after her passing. The video’s caption read: “His sister just died and he walked around all morning with her collar.”
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The quiet tribute struck a deep chord with viewers, racking up over 145,000 views and thousands of emotional comments. “That’s so sad but so lovely too,” one person wrote. Another admitted, “And that’s me sobbing while at work. Dogs are too precious for this world.” Others suggested the collar had become a source of comfort for him: “Just wants to feel safe so her collar is his safe thing.”
Many offered heartfelt condolences to the grieving family, with one user noting, “Animals grieve too. Poor little angel.”
And they’re right — science backs it up. A 2022 study in Scientific Reports found that surviving dogs often show clear signs of grief after losing a companion, including changes in eating, sleeping, playfulness, and overall mood. These shifts were most pronounced when the dogs shared a close bond, and owners’ own sorrow often intensified their pets’ emotional changes.
It’s not the first time an animal’s grief has gone viral. Earlier this year, a heartbroken dog named Archer was still curling up in his late friend Niko’s bed months after his passing. In another viral moment, a grieving cat was caught on camera gazing at a photo of his best canine friend.
Reggie’s tender tribute to Lucy is just another reminder that love — and loss — runs deep in the hearts of our pets, too.