Do Animals Have Souls?

Do animals have souls? I often wonder how people can think animals don't have souls. Five cats and two ferrets live with us now, and Toby, the Columbian Red-Tail Boa Constrictor pictured at the right used to live with us. They're as much a part of our family as the people, and more so than many of them.

I heard on the radio this morning a discussion about how pit bulls should be illegal to own due to their aggressive nature, which got me to thinking about Toby the Boa. Animals are probably born with more aggression than people are, but like anything else, they are creatures of their environment. If animals can adapt and grow, I argue that they have the ability to learn, and therefore, a soul.

I've seen very aggressive snakes in zoos and "snake farms", and I was terrified of them when I married the man in the photo, who already had the snake. Toby was hand raised from a neonate, and was gentle and only aggressive in the presence of food to his liking. One winter night in Atlanta, there was an ice storm that knocked out the power. The temperature in our apartment dropped rapidly, and Toby, the cold blooded snake that he is, was in danger of freezing to death. The only way to keep him alive was to use our own body heat, and that snake slept with us (wrapped in a pillowcase) for two nights, and was wrapped around one of us during the day. He was probably more content than I was, but there were no unhappy incidents. He was also a favorite Halloween attraction for the neighborhood kids, and spent several years as a "teacher's pet" in a seventh grade science class.

My next door neighbor now has a pit bull that I will not approach. The dog is so aggressive we had to reinforce our wooden fence to keep him where he belonged. I'd hate to see what would happen if I had to use body heat to keep that dog alive.

But just as the snake was born aggressive, so I'm sure was the Pit Bull. They both are products of their environment, and have grown into what they have learned. Perhaps it's simple evolution; perhaps it's the growth and learning of a soul.

I wasn't entirely decided on the issue until a friend and fellow ghost-chaser, Michelle, caught the ghost of a dog on videotape. About ten people were present during the taping and immediate viewing; she had no opportunity to tamper with the tape. You can view the clip here: http://www.mysticghostmgpi.com/mgpi_s_video_footage.

Another friend, also named Michelle, lost a beloved dog. Some time after her dog died, perhaps a year or more, she was alone in her home office with another of her dogs. She became aware of a presence in the room, and when she turned, she saw the ghost of her pet. What's more, and what really convinced her, was that the other dog in the room reacted to the very spot where she saw the ghost-dog. The live dog sniffed at the ghost, and yipped at Michelle, looking from her to the apparition.

If animals have no souls, how can they become ghosts?

All this is one more reason I think it's clear that our animal companions, be they milk-cows or kittens, deserve our concern and respect as fellow souls on the journey of life. As with the Boa Constrictor and the Pit Bull, our impact on their lives does not go unnoticed.