Heart wrenching footage of a dog burying a dead puppy has emerged.
Posted on YouTube on 23 June, it features the hound approaching the pup and gently using its nose to nudge dirt over its lifeless body.
The act is bound to reignite the debate as to whether canines are capable of feeling grief or loss.
The dog gently nudges dirt over the body of the dead puppy
While some dismiss such assumptions as humans simply anthropomorphizing the behaviour of animals, others believe beasts are very much able to feel grief.
Take the case of Ciccio, a 12-year-old German Shepherd who for many months continued to visit the church where his owner's funeral was held last year.
Ciccio at the altar of the church of Santa Maria Assunta in San Donaci, Puglia
Father Donato Panna said of the grieving hound's visits: "He's there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved - he doesn't make a sound, I've not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been coming in.
Wolf-cross Wiley appeared to shudder and sob over the gravestone, as a hand reaches out to stroke and reassure him “we miss her too.”
San Francisco vet and animal behaviourist Dr Sophia Yin believes dogs experience basic emotions, including grief, just as humans do, HealthDay reports.