Do Animals Have Souls?

This is a question so many people have asked. I remember when I was in the third or fourth grade and I asked a teacher 'Do animals have souls and go to Heaven?' and her reply to me was 'No, animals do not have souls or go to Heaven. Only people do.' Well, I was completely devastated and cried the whole way home from school. Luckily over time, I found out how very wrong that teacher was. Not only do animals have souls and go to Heaven, but you can also communicate with your beloved pets on the other side. They can, and do stay with us during our earthly journey, and it is said that our pets are the first to greet us on the other side. Can you imagine how wonderful that must be? I have always been a huge animal lover, having had many dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, fish and even a horse for twenty-five years. I'll have a whole bunch of animals to greet me!

It is extremely difficult losing a pet. It is completely heartbreaking and most often only true animal lovers can relate to our loss. If you have some faith and you are open, you will become aware of your pets existence in spirit form, and it will bring you comfort. I have had many signs from pets. Two years ago we had to put down our Golden Retriever who was thirteen-and-a-half. She lived to a wonderful age, but it was still devastating to us to let her go. My children took the loss terribly. It was the first time they experienced the loss of a pet. My youngest son was especially distraught and I didn't know what to do to help him with his grief. Several months went by and we finally got to the point where we could at least mention the dog's name in my son's presence. We also had a new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy which helped a bit. Well, one day when our new dog was asleep in the kitchen, my son brought a ball upstairs and began rolling it in my bedroom which has hardwood floors. I live in an old house, but our floors are completely level. My son rolled the ball and it stopped about five feet away. He sat still and looked at the ball for a moment. It then began rolling back to him. He came upstairs to my office and told me what had happened. 'I think Jennie was playing with me,' he said, and I told him it was probably true.

Another time I took a photo of our new dog lying under the kitchen table. This was a place our previous dog had stayed as well. When I looked at the photo I saw an orb next to our new dog. I knew it must be Jennie. What's interesting is that I believe other animals can see both humans and other animals in spirit. Animals have more psychic sensitivity than most humans and often "pick up things". A friend of mine had to put a dog down a few years back. When she got another one, the new pet ran immediately to the spot where the previous dog had been buried. My friend assured me the hole had been quite deep. Her new dog often rested in this area over the years.

In my own house, I know my Cavalier has seen my Golden on at least two occasions that I know of. My office is on the third floor of our colonial and there is an eyebrow window located in the room under an alcove . I used to call the area Jennie's lookout tower. When writing my earlier books she would sit there and stare out the window for hours. She did this until she could no longer climb the steps to my office and I always missed her being there. When my Cavalier was finally housebroken I started letting her up into my office. She was too small at the time to see out the window, but she always ran back and forth in front of the alcove. One day when she was running by she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned toward the window and started backing up and growling. Her fur started to stand up as well. She then quickly ran away from the alcove. I knew without a doubt that Jennie must have been there, and it made me happy that she had come to visit her favorite spot.

The second time my Cavalier saw Jennie was in my living room in front of the fireplace, which had been another favorite spot of Jennie's. My husband and I were sitting on the couch when our Cavalier walked into the room. She started barking at the fireplace suddenly and then she began backing up. It was simply amazing to watch, and I had wished that I could see Jennie there too.

The most direct contact I have had with my pets since their passing, has been through my good friend Richard Schoeller, a wonderful medium on Long Island. When I have a reading with him, both my dog and my horse usually come in, as well as some animals from the past. Richard told me things about my pets that there was no way he could possibly know, especially where my horse was concerned. To know my horse was in spirit form right next to me gave me the most incredible comfort. My dog communicated with me and thanked me for letting her go when we did. Through Richard, she said we did the right thing. My husband and I could not watch the vet put her down. We stayed in the other room and visited her afterwards. During my reading Richard said to me, 'You weren't in the room when she was put down, were you?' I answered, 'No, we weren't'. He had no prior knowledge of this detail. He then proceeded to tell me that my father, who is in spirit, was in the room. My father wanted me to know that he was with Jennie while she was being put down, and that afterwards it was he who carried her up to Heaven with him.

So when people argue with you and tell you that animals don't have souls, don't listen. It simply isn't true. They are the most special of God's creatures and they have been given the most beautiful of souls which remain with us always.