I'm not a dog whisperer, but that is very interesting. Did the dog act like this around your Dad before he was diagnosed? Has she always acted like this around him? If the answer to either of those questions is no, my guess is that she knows there is something going on with him. Dogs seem to know things that we humans don't. I've seen TV specials where they've shown dogs (and cats) that assist people with special type needs. I saw one about a pet that could predict epileptic seizures a few minutes before they hit the owner. The owner knew that when the pet acted a certain way, she needed to call for help, of if no one was available, position herself where she was unlikely to hurt herself during a seizure. It could be that the dog knows your Dad is ill, but that doesn't mean that she knows something you don't know and it doesn't mean that she knows your Dad is dying, if that's what you mean by knowing something that you don't know. Maybe she just knows something is wrong and does want to take care of him.

I have always believed that animals have a keen sense of wellness with us. I can just be down in the dumps, and mine get especially lovey dovey.
Moms Pom wants to an eye on dad and give him extra attention. What a sweetie.

Trin

Conway used to get in Ted's face and try to kiss and kiss and kiss one cheek bone, incessantly. Ted didn't like the dog kissing him in the face and would push him away.
Conway would wait until he went to sleep and crawl over there and lick and lick and lick that same spot.
Come to find out, he had a horrible tooth infection that had gone up into his sinuses.
A four thousand dollar dentist bill later, Conway doesn't bother Ted's face any more.

Around 25 years ago, we had a Cocker Spaniel, Toby. Our nieces spent a couple of weeks with us while their parents were starting a new business. The younger one was a baby and mentally handicapped, undiagnosed and unrecognized by her parents at that time. We knew it and several other parents/friends could tell, too.

Anyway, Toby was immediately protective of her. When she was lying on a blanket on the floor, he was lying there, too, but just off the edge of the blanket and not on it. If she was sleeping in the playpen/bed in the bedroom, Toby would jump onto the bed and lie with his head kind of dropped towards her bed. When I would lie her on the bed to change her, he would jump onto the bed, too. He always had his head on his front paws and was very alert while watching her.

We knew that he knew that something wasn't right. It was uncanny and yet wonderful.

Leslie/KS

Thanks for all your stories! Now I know Nikki isn't just being a pain in the butt! Like I said my heart just hurts when they're together, the look on her face is so sad. She really does love my Dad!

I do think dogs sense things. My old dog, I had when I was a pre teen and teenager, went everywhere with me. Knew my friends and just hung out with us all the time. She used to sleep in my room. One night I was awakened by her howling like her heart was broken. I had never heard her howl and never after that night heard her howl. The next morning one of my friends called me and told me a good friend of ours had died around the time of the howling in an auto accident. Which made me really made me wonder.

When my 90 YO Mom was out visiting last year my dog, a mini Dachshund, would follow her everywhere and sit right next to her on the sofa and constantly lick her hand. She has never done anything like this before or after with anyone else. She will sit at the opposite end of the sofa when we are watching TV and not next to me and she is suppose to be MY dog. That is the only time she has ever licked anyone like that. Who knows what they sense.
Clare

A cat, not a dog.

We had various cats over time, but this one cat took up with my DH. Always sat on his lap, not mine etc. My DH was in the hospital having had surgery (cancer) and was very ill. One afternoon I went home to shower and rest up for a few minutes and my DD was staying with her Dad. While I was sitting on the porch, Tom, the cat, came and wanted in my lap. I picked him up and stroked his back and talked to him about how sick his "Daddy" was and he just sat so quiet and looked at me.

I went back to the hospital and my DD told me that while I was gone, Daddy was pulling at the sheets and asking if Tom was there.

Now I've got tears in my eyes, and that was 25 years ago.

Sue