Heartbreaking Video Shows Dog Mourning The Death Of His Brother

<p> <a class="checked-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqqbgyssefs">YouTube/brettvett1 .</a><span></span> </p>
<p> <a class="checked-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqqbgyssefs">YouTube/brettvett1 .</a><span></span> </p>

The extent to which animals' emotional experience mirrors that of humans may still be a source of scholarly debate, but the quiet heartache of one dog in mourning seems to leave little doubt to the similarities.

A video was recently uploaded to YouTube showing the heartbreaking moment when a Rottweiler named Brutus discovered that his brother, Hank, with whom he had been inseparable, had passed away.

(YouTube/brettvett1 .)

In the clip, Brutus can be seen nuzzling against his Hank's lifeless body, his eyes clenched and watery in what appears to be a profound state of sadness as his owner, Brett Bennett, tries to comfort him.

"This is proof that animals DO have emotions and feel pain just like we do," writes Bennett.

click to play video

Bennett, who adopted the dogs together as rescues two years ago, says that Hank died peacefully in his sleep.

"Hank was older than we had anticipated from being a rescue dog, never knowing his true age," Bennet writes on Facebook. "After being examined he was determined to be approx 10 years old."

(Facebook/Hank and Brutus Rottweiler Twins)

The scene of Brutus mourning for his deceased brother is a touching bookend to what had been a long and loving relationship - one that will not soon be lost to time.

Since adopting Hank and Brutus, Bennett has dedicated both a Facebook page and a YouTube channel to the life he's shared with them.

(Facebook/Hank and Brutus Rottweiler Twins)