Sad Bulldog Keeps Searching for Brother Who Went to College and It's Heartbreaking

It's always an emotionally tumultuous time when a kid sets off on their first year of college. For the parents, it's a bittersweet occasion, because even though they're sad to see their babies leave the nest, it's exciting to watch them embark on the next stage of their lives!

Unfortunately, the family pets they leave behind aren't able to understand that this is a happy occasion. All they know is that a once-constant member of their household has gone missing. Kelly Hoffman, a mom who recently sent her son off for his freshman year of college, was heartbroken when the family bulldog started looking for her "missing" brother every day.

Based on her previous videos, Kelly (aka @khoff007) and her husband moved their son Tyler into his freshman dorm over a week ago. Every morning since then, the family's bulldog wanders down the stairs every day to Tyler's old bedroom, looking for her "lost" brother. Kelly, who was already emotional over sending Tyler off to college, was heartbroken for her.

Related: French Bulldog's Sadness Over Sister Going Back to College Is Breaking Hearts

"One of the hardest parts is watching your dog so upset as they don't get it," Kelly vented in her video's caption. "They don't know why he left, they don't know he's just going to school, they just know he's gone and miss their loved one so much!"

Other parents of college-aged kids commiserated with Kelly, reflecting on how their own pets grieved after their human siblings left for school.

"Ours does this too. Every time he leaves she just sits on his bed wailing. Then when she hears any sound [she] runs to the door looking for him," said @amersdunn81.

"My two left this afternoon for college, and our little weiner dogs stood at the door and cried when they got in their vehicles to leave. It's just as hard on our fur babies as it is us parents," @mommalangley related.

It wasn't just dogs grieving their college-bound siblings, either.

"My daughter's cat wanders around the house meowing and looking for her. It breaks my heart! I miss her too buddy!" shared @ksg2005.

"My daughter's cat looked for her all night. This is so hard!" said @peachteach250.

Helping Pets During Back-to-School Season

Much has been written about how "empty nest syndrome" impacts human parents when their children finally move away. However, it's important to remember that cats and dogs can also get severe separation anxiety when their human siblings move away.

Excessive barking or crying, destructive behavior, and inappropriate urination and defecation indoors/out of the litterbox are common separation anxiety symptoms in both cats and dogs, along with general signs of depression like changes in energy levels and appetite. In cases where separation anxiety is triggered by the loss of a family member, the pets may also search around the house for the missing person.

There's no easy way for pet parents to brace their pets for the emotional shock of their sibling's moving out. However, veterinarian Dr. E. Kathryn Meyer told The Washingtonian that families can ease the transition by having other family members gradually take over feeding/care duties from the college-bound kid prior to their departure, moving the pet into a different room to sleep, and distracting them by teaching them new tricks or enrolling them in a training class. The college kid can also leave behind a few t-shirts or a blanket for their pet to smell, or call in over the semester so their pet can hear their voice. And of course, the remaining household members can help by giving their pets extra attention and spoiling them a bit more while they grieve the (temporary) loss of their sibling.

Back-to-school season is an emotional time for the whole family, even the four-legged members. Let's not forget that our pets need emotional support, too!

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