I dont think is a dum question. I too, wonder if my dogs sense when Im sad or upset? I think they do know. I have two Mini Pinchers the male is mixed with chihuahua and they are really close to me and my boyfriend. Whenever my boyfriend is upset or sad the male dog goes directly to him and rubs his face/head on him. If he has his head down ( boyfriend ) the male dog will go under it and start licking him even his tears . I think is sooo cute. My female dog cries whenever I leave the house , now there is always someone here with them but if I leave she cries a lot. Cute hu? I love the feeling. I think pets do feel the tension etc. How wonderful hu? Hug your gunie pig, play with him so he knows that no matter what you both are there forone another. Some may laugh at this but is how I see things being a doggy lover. Hope this was somewhat helpful . Take care and I hope you feel better today, tomorrow & always.

Sincerely, Saxoney

thank u so much

Pets sense our reactions, when you are sad they are so also... Pets are very sensitive to human's emotions!

The answer is Yes
My husband died 12/30/09 and my step son re fussed to let me have the family cat. So I went to the local shelter and found a kitten. This kitten was brought in my 3 older lady who had found him. They would not keep it in there own home so they tried to keep it in a unheated garage. The kitten start to get very sick and they had no money for a vet. They talked with the police who referred them to the shelter. When I went to find a cat this kitten just jump into my arm. I was informed he could not be adoptable because he required liquid medication that had to be measure by a syringe. Well I'm a RN and had the knowledge to mix the medication so they let me have the kitten. Well he given me the love when I need it. If I'm crying in my bed he brings me a toy. He has been the best support for me. He just gives me love and the joy that I need during this hard time. I do miss the cat I had with my husband but the kitten help fill the void
I also have 2 guinea pigs and they also give me love. They have been louder since my husband is gone. I know they feel the loss of my husband AL.
I work at a hospital and they are going to start a pet therapy program for some the patient who are chronically ill. THere is a reason by we call a dog man best friend. So give you guinea pig a extra love because they are there for you.
malia

thank u!

I had a black lab and everytime I was upset and crying she would come put her head on my legs. I do believe they know when we are upset.

She passed away over 10 years ago and I still miss her very much. She was part of my life for 14 years.

I have wondered this also. My husband passed away 2 weeks ago. He was home on hospice for 10 days before his death on Saturday evening. We have a shih-tzu who began yelping periodically early Saturday morning. It was a small yelp that seemed to be the result of some physical pain. Several family members tried finding what was wrong with him. We rubbed him all over, checked his mouth, ears, pressed his abdomen and could never find a specific cause of pain. This went on for 3 or 4 days. I was consumed with funeral arrangements, grief, family visits, etc and kept saying I would take him to the vet once the service was over and things settled down. The issue resolved itself and Jagger, the dog, has pretty much returned to normal. He has been calmer and quieter than normal, but he did greet me again with his usual old habit of barking and jumping on my return home yesterday. So it seems, he is back to "normal". Now I wonder if his yelping was a type of grieving.

There is no question pets pick up on the moods of their humans. Cues like eye cantact, voice pitch and the amount of attention they receive can impact on an animal. Creatures survive in the wild by being tuned their surroundings and are quick to notice change. As maliad said, some extra attention is probably the ticket.

I was keeping it a secret until I was sure I was going to get a dog. The lady is supposed to call me today. he's a 2-3 year old rescue dog, part toy poodle, part bichon. about 7 lbs and real fluffy, he's white and apricot. his name is shem and i'm going to gradually change it to chumlee. i'm excited and anxious. he'll be a lot like a dog had and died 11 years ago. i think he'll be great for me. i'm actually excited to see him today, keep your fingers crossed she calls.

My Russian Blue kitty, "Whiskey" , and all pets suffer the same as we do when a loved one dies... You & they were a part of your family, and they know when one member is missing... Even after the year which has separated us from my wife, Whiskey sometime seems very lost without my wife, and becomes very possessive of me, and very lovable... and it should be our duty to console them as well as any other member of the family... our pets give us such unselfish love all of the time... we owe it to them to give right back...