Dogs experiencing panic

Question
Our daughter's 19 year old terrier mix dog was found dead in her swimming pool.  We are wondering if the dog could have experienced what we know as panic and frustration in his last moments of life.  Can dogs sense the logic of panic and fruitlessness?

Answer
Hi, Leona,

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's dog.  I'm also sorry to say that, yes, I do believe he probably felt panic.  All living things have the survival instinct; if he were to have crawled off somewhere to die, I would say he went peacefully of his own choice, but this type of death was not a normal, routine, end-of-life event for an animal.

I hope your daughter fixes the pool so that any future pets (or worse, children) cannot get into the pool, or if they do, know how to get out.