Can dogs grieve?
By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, Feb. 17, 2025
Maggie lay curled around her only surviving puppy, Paul Revere, her warm breath stirring the soft fur on his tiny body.
The whelping den was silent except for the occasional whimper of her newborn and the steady, rhythmic sound of her own breathing.
But in that silence,
there was an unmistakable void.
She had known, in the way that only mothers do, that something was missing.
Five tiny lives had been lost before they even had the chance to begin.
And though she had one precious puppy to care for, the weight of her grief settled deep in her bones.
She nuzzled Paul Revere endlessly, fussing over his every movement as if willing him to be enough to fill the emptiness inside her.
When the stillborn puppies arrived, Maggie nudged them gently, her nose pressing into their tiny forms, urging them to respond.
But they did not move.
She licked them with tender devotion, willing them to wake, to breathe, to join her and Paul Revere in life.
Yet, they remained motionless.
Her gaze followed as the lifeless bodies were gently lifted and taken from her sight.
Her head dropped.
Her body sank with exhaustion as she fell into a quiet heap around her one surviving puppy, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Jay knelt beside her, his heart aching at the sight of the devoted mother tending so intently to her single pup.
He knew what she had lost.
He knew that no amount of comforting words could explain to her what had occurred.
But he also knew that maybe—just maybe—he could ease her sorrow.
When Galena, the mother of the Cherry Blossom litter, was distracted, Jay carefully lifted three tiny puppies from her side, ensuring she did not notice their absence.
He moved swiftly, placing them among Maggie’s paws, watching as she instinctively sniffed at them.
Her body stiffened for just a moment, her eyes flickering between the newborns and Jay.
And then, something miraculous happened.
Maggie’s gaze softened, and a glimmer of light returned to her amber eyes.
There was no hesitation, no rejection—only love.
She lowered her head and began grooming them, the same way she had fussed over Paul Revere.
As if understanding that these puppies needed her just as much as she needed them, she pulled them close, curling her body around them in a warm embrace.
She looked up at Jay then, her deep, soulful eyes filled with something he could only describe as gratitude.
In that moment, she wasn’t just a grieving mother—she was a whole mother again.
The sorrow hadn’t vanished, but the emptiness had lessened.
Jay could almost hear the unspoken words in her gaze:
"Thank you for returning my babies."
Paul Revere, once the sole recipient of his mother’s love and attention, didn’t hesitate to welcome his new siblings.
There was no jealousy.
No protest.
Instead, he scooted over, making room for them at the milk bar.
His tiny body simply adjusted as if he had been waiting for them all along.
With his new surrogate brothers and sisters, he will learn what it means to be part of a pack.
No longer alone, he will experience the gentle nips of play, the comforting weight of another puppy nestled beside him, and the unspoken lessons of canine etiquette that only siblings can teach.
And Maggie…
Maggie gets to be the mother she was always meant to be, her heart full once more.
This special singleton puppy is featured on the Early America Litter page.
You can learn more about him at the link below:
Early America Litter
(Donner/Maggie)
Born: February 14, 2025
https://direwolfdogs.com/litters/71/
Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.
Paul Revere
Maggie from Mr. Rogers litter