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A few weeks ago we lost our beloved chow, Loki. We was 13 and beloved by all of us but he was particularly close to me. The grief is overwhelming but now I am faced with a serious problem. Shortly after we rescued Loki, we rescued a chow/Newfoundland mix, Frisco. He had been in an abusive situation and was very timid and frightened easily. It took him almost two years for him to be comfortable with us. He was particularly close to Loki. They were together ten years and did everything together. Frisco was clearly a follower...not a leader. He looked to Loki to set the pace. Since Loki's death we have had trouble getting Frisco to even take a walk. The first few days he wouldn't leave the yard. He is eating but seems lethargic. He doesn't meet us at the door like he used to, he won't sleep in his bed and , most importantly, he refused to walk with any member of the family. Is there any way we can help him?

Frisco is depressed. There hasn't been closure - Loki was there and then gone. For many weeks, Shiloh would lay facing the door. I think she was wondering when Nahkohe would come back through the door. Do you have any family or friends that can visit with their dog that Frisco might have played with before? He needs a lot of your attention - even if he is not wanting to walk.

We actually had a family vacation last week at a little place we have in the mountains. It was a place that Loki loved and we never came without Loki and Frisco. We even had our daughters pit bull join us. I thought being around the family and another dog would help, but it was more of the same. Many times one of the kids tried to get Frisco to join them for a walk. When he did go with them he went as far as the driveway. He seemed uninterested in the other dog. We had him outside the other day and a retriever went by. He got excited and I was wondering if, from a distance, he thought it was loki. When we came into the mountain house he immediately went to the porch where Loki used to hang out. We are going to try to take him in the car today to a park for a picnic. I thought maybe changing his surroundings would help. It's bad enough to lose our best friend, but seeing Frisco like this is heartbreaking.
Thanks for the response. I feel so helpless

I can totally relate to this. We lost a previous chow due to natural causes at around 15 yrs of age. It was always Nellie (chow) and Harley (Rottweiler). Harley loved her so much. Nellie ruled the roost and kept him in line. It was actually funny because you have this little 50 pd chow and 120 pd rottweiler and he knew to always let her go through the doggy door first. She ended up passing in the night and he absolutely was by her side. I kid you not for about two - three weeks he would walk around the house and wimper. He wouldn't eat, didn't want to go for rides, nothing you could do for him. It broke my heart. I had never seen a animal act like this. I finally called our vet and he said they mourn like we mourn when we lose someone special. He said just be patient and give him extra attention, that it will take time. It did get a little better but since he was just a few years behind her in age we ended up losing him 6 months later. I still to this day miss them both so much. Such special dogs they were. My advice for Frisco is don't push him, just spend extra time with him and comfort him as much as needed. Maybe some special treats or just sit and talk to him.
Wishing you and Frisco the best

Thank you for you ur comments. We are taking it one day at a time. It breaks my heart. The other day we passed a golden retriever during our walk. He got so excited, it was from a distance, and I think he thought it was Loki.
We are trying to distract him And spend even more time with him

Sound Frisco have a traumatic experience in his life glad his under your custody now. Yes you can help your dog with this kind of problem ask your vet our find a behaviourist to help you with this situations.