Three-Legged Dog Mourns His Animal Friends By Laying Next To Their Graves

May 13, 2020 by apost team

A three-legged golden retriever named Tricycle was found sleeping next to the grave of his friend, an alpaca named Vixen in Horse Creek Stable Rescue Sanctuary in Mineral Buff, Georgia last month.

Tricycle, who got his name from being three-legged, is a golden retriever living at the Horse Creek Stable Rescue Sanctuary in Mineral Buff, Georgia. Tricycle is known to mourn the passing of his animal friends at the sanctuary. Last month, he was found sleeping next to the grave of his friend Vixen, a 21-year-old alpaca. 

In the sanctuary’s facebook page, owners Lester and Diane Aradi shared a photo of the mourning dog and noted that he will mourn for “typically three days.” “Like many of us, there is a sense of loss that we all need to work through,” said Lester. “Animals also have that sense of loss. He normally spends his day laying on the gravesite until he comes in at night,” Lester added.

apost.com

According to Lester, Tricycle started mourning four years ago when he and his wife buried Major, a St. Bernard and mastiff mix rescue, on their property. Tricycle was present when they were burying Major. They had "spotted him laying on Major's grave" the very next day. “It touched us so much that we posted pictures on facebook,” Lester shares.

Speaking to apost, Lester shares that all their animals are allowed to interact with one another: "We were told that every time one of our animals die that it is best to let them be present during the burial rather than have them not know what happened." He added that Tricycle had visited Vixen's gravesite again just a couple of days ago and has found it a "comfortable place to lay while [they] did [their] chores.

According to the sanctuary's website, Tricycle stars in his very own book but he shares the sanctuary with a host of other special needs animals such as goats, horses, llamas, alpacas, as well as other dogs. “We are a foster home for many larger animal rescue groups who place animals with special needs in our care,” said Lester, who added:

“Every animal that has passed over the Rainbow Bridge has been buried on our farm so their spirits can live on where they spent the latter years of their lives."

“For the smaller animals, such as our cat and dogs, we marked their grave with a circle of stones.” The larger animals have fruit trees planted on their graves to “continue the circle of life” while allowing visiting children the chance to pick apples, cherries, and pears from those same trees.

If you didn't know before that animals, too, mourn when they experience loss, now you do. Pass this touching story along to your friends and family.