# Do dogs Cry? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555 "2003-03-06T19:16:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@TJ555\_The\_Golfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJ555_The_Golfer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/1 "2003-03-06T19:16:13Z")
Do dogs cry? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/2 "2003-03-06T20:01:42Z")
I’d say yes…at least after a fashion. My dog certainly whimpers when in pain or upset which I equate to crying. No tears but clearly an emotional state of being upset is being communicated. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/3 "2003-03-06T20:43:46Z")
About 12 years ago our dog Emily’s buddy B.J. (who was her play buddy and sleeping partner) was killed by a car. (Dumb niece – opening the gate to the pen and then not watching the dogs. What a twit.) When we got home to Emily, she kept trying to climb down Mr. S’s shirt – she just could not get close enough to him – and as she whimpered and scrambled around frantically, her eyes were very watery. To us it was clear that she was very upset – she had never behaved like this before. I don’t recall if anyone knew whether she had seen B.J. get hit. (Poor B.J. – He was such a nice dog. Only 3 years old. ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/4 "2003-03-06T22:51:55Z")
I’m not sure about dogs, but I’m pretty sure that doves cry. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/5 "2003-03-06T23:50:38Z")
As far as I’ve seen, they don’t really cry in the sense that they have tears coming out of their eyes. However, they will make the most heart-wrenching squealing whimper if they are in severe pain. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/6 "2003-03-07T01:09:50Z")
It’s a pitiful sight indeed to see a dog who is mourning. My aunt used to have a pair of cocker spainiels, both bought at a relatively young age, and pretty much raised together. When the female died, the male was inconsolable. He moaned, whimpered, whined, paced, searched the house again and again, and “cuddled” her favoite toy, growling if anyone tried to take it. He refused to eat, and started at every noise, as if listening for her return. He never was the same dog again. I have seen dogs’ eyes water if in extreme pain, but have never seen them burst into tears as humans do. Nevertheless, they express their emotions very eloquently. ---
**Author:** ![SDHAsia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SDHAsia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDHAsia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/7 "2003-03-07T16:32:27Z")
My dog has had epileptic seizures (three). She definitely cried (wept) while they were going on. She also gave me a look that said \Please, make it stop\. ---
**Author:** ![DreadLead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@DreadLead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadLead)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-dogs-cry/159555/8 "2003-03-07T19:53:50Z")
Damn, I think I’m going to cry