You can literally die from a broken heart. And, apparently, from separation anxiety, too. In a very sad tale out of China, a heroic dog who saved his parent’s life died only 12 days after being separated from his ailing dog dad.
Heroic Dog Saves Dad’s Life
Awang was a 9-year-old Golden Retriever and Labrador mix from Hangzhou, a city in the Zhejiang province of eastern China. When his dog dad, a 78-year-old man named Yang, suffered a stroke and got pinned under a chair, Awang alerted neighbors with his loud, continuous barking. The unusual noise summoned the neighbors, who knocked on the door and became concerned when it went unanswered. Authorities then broke into the apartment and found Yang on the floor, as well as the dog, who is credited with saving Yang’s life.
“We said to the dog, ‘We’re here to save your owner.’ He seemed to understand and lay down quietly,” local police officer Shen Jianhuan told South China Morning Post.
Separation Anxiety: A Silent Killer
Yang was transported to the hospital, but Awang was sent to a shelter by community workers, where he was caged. The pooch, who had lived with his dog dad since he was a puppy, refused to eat or drink.
Awang eventually died from separation anxiety on Dec. 2, almost two weeks after saving his dog dad’s life.
This wasn’t the first time such a tragedy occurred at the facility in question. Apparently, several canines have died due to the stress associated with relocation to the shelter. The lack of human interaction and the confined, restrictive spaces in the new environment have been blamed for the deaths.
“We know that this dog saved his owner, just like any person saving another,” the shelter’s manager, Jin, told the press. Unfortunately, Awang’s dog dad wasn’t able to save his beloved dog in return.
