Most of us humans respond emotionally when our relationships end, but we likely don't consider how breakups affect our animals. One woman has proven that pets feel much deeper than we realize by sharing a video clip of her dog watching her ex-boyfriend leave their home for the final time.
The woman’s dog gazed up sadly at her ex-boyfriend once she realized that he was leaving for good.
Jen and her dog Maggie both grew close with Jen’s now ex-boyfriend. When the two broke up for undisclosed reasons, he moved out of their shared apartment. As if the breakup was not emotional enough for the both of them, Jen shared that watching Maggie’s reaction to it all was what truly devastated them.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 16 million times, Jen recorded Maggie watching her ex pack up his stuff and leave the apartment. Initially, the dog curiously watched the man walk around and gather his things, unsure of what exactly was going on.
However, the moment he slung his bag over his shoulder, the pooch appeared to realize that he was leaving. Her eyes suddenly widened with emotion, and she slightly cocked her head at him.
“Watching my dog say goodbye to my ex is the most heartbreaking part of this breakup,” Jen wrote in the text overlay of the video. “They became so bonded and my dog adores him.”
Maggie kept her eyes on Jen’s ex as he prepared to leave. “She looks so devastated I can’t bear it,” Jen added.
Maggie was not the only one devastated as the pair exchanged their goodbyes. Jen’s unnamed ex dropped a kiss on Maggie’s head and gave her a final chin rub before heading out the door. “This was the last goodbye he could muster without crying,” Jen revealed. “He loves her so much too.”
Other people could not help but relate to the heartwrenching video, as their own pets acted similarly during their splits from partners.
“My ex-husband cheated on me and left us, me and two dogs. They have waited for him at the door every day for three months,” one TikTok user shared. “I’m currently going through this, my dog and I have to learn to live at the same home without him and his presence,” another user commented. “It’s honestly the hardest thing I’ve watched,” a third user wrote. “My dog has been with us for 8 eight weeks and watching his dad leave him killed me.”
Others admitted that they miss their ex’s pets more than they miss their actual ex!
In a follow-up video, Jen revealed that sharing custody of Maggie was not possible, given that her ex had moved over 8,000 miles away.
“My dog will have to love him from afar,” she captioned her TikTok.
In the event of a breakup, you and your partner should not only consider who will have or how to split custody of your pets but also how your pets will be affected by the split. Like us, they got used to our partners being around and bonded with them. They are bound to be sad, confused, moody, and mopey once their other parent is gone. Our pets may even grieve along with us during a breakup.
However, according to researchers, your pets, specifically your dogs, may not know that your ex is permanently gone, and they expect them to walk through the door at any moment.
“They may over time start to realize that the person hasn’t been around as much, but I don’t know that they would ever have the sort of conscious realization of, ‘Oh, I guess Joe’s never coming back,’” Angie Johnson, a graduate student at Yale’s Canine Cognition Lab told The Cut.
Your dogs, however, pick up on the fact that something is different. Your partner’s shoes are no longer by the door. Their body was has disappeared, replaced with a new scent. Maybe your ex used to take them on walks every night, and now they’ve suddenly stopped.
Dogs are sensitive to changes in their normal routine and environment, and even the most minor adjustments can throw them for a loop.
Even though their reactions may not be ones out of sadness all the time, they feel the heartbreak their humans endure, and will not hesitate to snuggle up next to you and lick the tears off your face. If the atmosphere in the home is hostile amid the breakup, and there is a lot of shouting and anguish, your dogs will most certainly pick up on it, becoming agitated and frightened.
Photo: Soloviova Liudmyla / Shutterstock
“They could withdraw… Or it can make them nervous — pacing around, whining, becoming destructive where they hadn’t been before,” Marc Bekoff, author of “The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age,” told The Cut.
While the end of relationships is an inevitable part of life, that doesn’t mean that it won’t be difficult for you and your pet. Luckily, they make excellent companions and will be right by your side throughout the entire process.
Not only are pets a welcome distraction from negative thoughts and emotions associated with a breakup, but they will also be your non-judgemental listener whenever you need to vent about your feelings. While your romantic partners may not always stick around, your pets undoubtedly always will!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
