Do Dogs Have Souls?
Is it possible?
No one really knows the answer, but I would like to have considered opinions from those who have been around dogs as to what you think about our furry friends having souls.
Do they have souls or spirits? I do not know of any moral or ecclesiastical reasons discouraging me from wondering about the possibility, or of any of the same forbidding dogs from possessing souls. Dog souls are not mentioned in the roots of our religious writings, but neither are blockchains and Monty Python movies, and they exist.
Have you had those moments when you were certain a thought was put into your head by a dog, or that it was responding to your thought?
Do dogs' souls go to Heaven? Will we share Paradise with our life's collection of dog friends? Are there any human moral objections that would be offended by dogs being with their human companions after death?
I have never known an evil dog. The exact opposite, actually; all I have known have been quite acceptable company.
I have indeed known some evil things done by very evil people who did not possess a soul, so species does not seem to be a prerequisite for having one.
What do you think?
The photo is mine.
The question stemmed from a conversation @janton and I have been having about how special dogs are in our lives. The thought process should be shared, I think.
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I believe dogs do have some form of connection with us, and they tune to our senses very quickly, which is likely down to their strong empathy of showing love towards others sometimes, whether it's a smile or tail wag.
I've experienced a connection with a past dog i had, a couple of times due to feeling unsure when approaching some people, he picked up on it rapidly, nether the less things settled down once i settled and assured him to not grumble anymore.
I believe that also, and very strongly. They have lived with us for at least 15,000 years and maybe we have evolved into the relationship without knowing, or, maybe dogs are just plain smarter in lots of ways we don't give them credit for. Whatever happened, they make great companions.
Thank you for the resteem, @drvimto!
You're welcome. Ït's a post every dog owner should see, beit a new owner to longterm.
Yes theres a lot of questions regarding dogs that always come to mind.. Found that they tend to mould to owners characteristics usually, or maybe imitate different things we may do.. mine would smile if i would do so, though sometimes they'd copy it, if they had been partly bad, i'd talk stern, and they smile thinking it's probably funny.. Over all they do spend time learning why we do what we do, when we all could interact more using our senses, we might understand one another more.
Think of what an amazing survival trait that is for any being: the ability to reproduce the correct emotional response the the other species' actions! They learn to smile (as did my yellow Lab, Sam) and it always disarmed me of any temporary anger I may have felt, or brought humor into a situation. How is that for "getting along with the natives?"
Being sensitive to other humans is one thing we all fail miserably at and that leads to more distrust and ultimately to conflict when difficult situations could have been defused with a grin...or a tail wag. We spend too much time thinking about our own feelings when the other person is trying to express theirs. Often when I talk to Mike, he has such an intense, focused look as if he is trying hard at his limits to understand what I'm saying. I know he does not get the words, but he probably does get my underlying emotions when I'm saying them.
Animals are smarter than us and may use the basics, which gives relief in many ways. because us humans tend to over think and which in turn can over complicate matters, then resolve to going back to using simple matters..
Owned one or two dogs in the past.. Labs were a favourite for their all round temperament, 2nd were collie mix breeds.. last one i had was very smart, it was surprising he never ran off completely. long story short, sometimes would sneak out due to others not watching him. he'd sometimes go 5hrs and return unharmed and happy as if it was funny. despite getting walks and footie/tennis ball/stick time too..
Thats true, something we could all learn more on, how to suppress our negative side when it comes to emotions, though it's easier said than done!
Dogs do find us strange to understand, hence when we use our senses and empathy towards them, they tune better to us.
Maybe the development of our brains allowing complex thought sent us along a developmental path that neglected the emotional sensitivity path that other animals excel in. The lack of technical abilities to build and expand and always destroy in the process may turn out to NOT be a valuable survival trait where animals living in groups where being in tune emotionally is a longer term survival strength.
Mankind has run amok on the planet and the four footed Canis never has so far as I know. Maybe they are doing things right and we are not.
That is an interesting question: which is the better long range survival skill complex technical thinking, or emotional sensitivity?
Oh...My Lab, Sam, was a wonderful, absolutely loyal and steadfast friend. I could never ask for a better companion.
most likely, because our minds race so much, when we're bursting full of ideas and everything else, from a young age, it becomes one erratic state. So we forget our true ways within our own self. apart from our basics of loyalty respect so forth.
Indeed we've caused a meltdown to society in some way... cause & affect.. where something maybe done for good, it's affected another..
good question, id probably say all to balance it.. because as you're aware, emotions do so much on controlling us, if we allow it "depending on the situation too"
had 2 labs over the years, blackies.. one was very protective that wasn't fond of dogs except the current one i had.. he use to climb 5ft fences we extended it to 6.. he still tried but gave up..
the other lab was great, loyal, though mostly like the mind of a 5yr old even up til 16...
Yep, I think we missed the correct development path. Kid of like the Labs when they are younger: anything can cause a SQUIRREL moment and they totally lose focus on ...whatever it was.
Sam was like the 5 year-old until his death at 12 yrs. Always ready to go into full play mode, but got serious when I was on the tractor and trotted along with the left front tire for as long as I worked. I used to stop just so he would take a break and have some shade.
He was a climber too, but it was separation anxiety and he tried to not let me get out of his sight. I finally let him go everywhere with me in the truck and he loved it.
Overall, I know of no reason Labs should not have souls. Since their brains are capable of loyalty, affection, trust, tenderness and who knows what else, what criteria would disqualify them? All people are assumed to have souls and I know of many I seriously doubt have one, and of many others who have deliberately destroyed other people. Dogs do not do that. I do not see any reason why people should be a special exempt case and all have souls.
Dogs in specific or all pets? Every living thing has feelings nd it attaches with us through time, Telling ur secrets or problems to a human being (respecting u back the way u do) could be better as they can understand nd give their opinion back :)
Although Love should be shared with everyone be it Humans or any other Living thing (y)
There are times when I just want to talk about something without getting any comments back, so I tell my dog about it. They at least look interested and I feel better.
And yes, all living things should be respected. That is one of the reasons I do not eat animals.
That's a good reason I must agree with. Yes, there are times when we just want to speak without having to get any comments back which is very tough for humans , haven't had a dog before but this could make me have one finally. It could be interested in whatever i share with and look interested too, Steemit is being wonderful (y)
They are like small children who love attention and companionship. If you neglect them, they have injured feelings and feel rejection. I have had many dogs in the past 60+ years and my life has been better for having them share theirs with me. Treat them as they have sensitive feelings and they reward you with companionship and affection.
Actually it's nice when you don't get people who could give their all to you. Animals won't require anything in return but love and care only, You are right
And they are always happy to see you when you return home, no matter how long you have been gone. Quite often that can be the most relaxing time of your day; just being welcomed with genuine excitement and pleasure to be back into their lives.
That is something we can not argue about, no matter how fast our lives have become or how technology has taken over or how manhood has become materialistic , If there is love , attachment or affection then nothing else really matters.
Am happy you are having great time with your dogs, Kind of making me think of having some too :)
Having a dog is a long term commitment, just as adopting a child would be. They require care and cannot be pushed aside simply because you would prefer to do something else. They prefer a routine life and are always overjoyed to do things with their person. If you can give them that, they will reward you with undying loyalty, companionship, and emotional support.
It sounds like a lot, and it is, but it is also a very rewarding experience to have a four-footed, furry friend.
if you go by the hindu philosophy every living thing has or is part of a soul!
i have always had dogs with me and just like anyone else i love them. they behave more or less like us.
all i can tell you is they are truly soulful companions. a day in our lives is not complete if we dont get to stroke a dog's head or play with it. It understands our moods and can feel our pain. it can lift us up from the depths of despair to the apex of happiness.
i am sure they do.
I am sure also. I have told more of my personal feelings and secrets to my dogs as we sit and talk than I ever have told to humans. I feel that they listen with their hearts and listen without judgment until I am through. Their presence is reassuring and I have often told my smaller ones, as I put them on my lap, "I need the lap time, even if you don't."
As for every living thing having or being part of a soul, I find it immensely satisfying that we should all be part of Mother Earth's - Gaia's - consciousness. Someday, perhaps if we ever become more enlightened, humanity will look back with shame that we had so much evidence of that and continued to ignore it.
howdy @willymac! LOVE your post topic of course and thanks for the mention, I did my post about dogs too because of our conversation, did it last night but couldn't send it of course.
Brilliant commenting, I knew you'd get great ones because almost everyone loves dogs and see their unique connections and abilities..I'll have to check out @steemonkey's recommendation.
thank you sir, great post!
Thank you, my friend. People can talk about their dogs even if they have zero else in common. That's not a bad trade-off, either. I actually like the subject and hearing about how others feel.
yes sir I agree, it's wonderful to have a universal subject that everyone likes and agrees on!
Rupert Sheldrake has some fascinating stories about some of the experiments that have been carried out over the decades. One study showed that when a particular species of rat learned a particular task in England, that same species of rat over in Australia immediately learned the same task faster. It seemed that there was a species related learning happening that resonates across the globe. He calls this theory Morphic Resonance and he claims it is common to all species.
Another similar story relates to birds. Before WW2 the birds learned over time that they could take the cream from milk bottles left at the doors in Holland. WW2 happened and the milk was no longer left out. A generation of birds came and went and after the war the new birds went straight to the cream even though they had never seen it before. Sheldrake's work is indeed highly fascinating.
whoa!! ..first of all Howdy from Texas @steemonkey! I don't think I've seen your username before so it's good to see you.
Does this phenomenon work with humans as well or do you know?
This is interesting stuff, the species related learning thing wow! never heard this stuff before thank you!
Hi @janton. Nice to meet you too. Yes it does work with humans as with all other creatures. Here is a very short introduction to Morphic Resonance. Sheldrake has more in depth presentations also on you tube :)
howdy back sir @steemonkey! thanks so much for this, I will watch it tomorrow, it's after 1 am here, gotta get some sleep.
Hey Cowboy! @Steemonkey's my buddy in Northwest England.
Ian, JohnBoy lives up in the black clay part of Texas.
yes sir! thank you. Howdy from Texas Ian! Long live the Queen! do they still say that in England? probably not!
Fascinating! Almost as if the information were encoded into DNA and passed to future generations. That could explain why birds know how to weave complex nests from the correct materials when they have never seen one built yet they are the same as its ancestors built even they never knew each other.
Exactly. Everything about it just sits right with me. My heart, mind and gut told me this made sense. I have to say that most of Sheldrake's work seems to ring true with me.
I'll follow up on his videos
To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
Hi! I'm a bot, and this answer was posted automatically. Check this post out for more information.
Dogs and cats seem to have pre-cognitive or psychic powers that are linked to their owners. It is common for dogs to know when their owners decide to set off for home no matter what time of day. They will go to the door or window in anticipation. Lots of studies have shown this phenomena around the world. Other studies have shown cats knowing when their owners intend to take them to a vets. They simply disappear. Even if no cat box has been seen and even when the appointment was made from another location. Animals have incredble abilities and sensitivities that we are only just beginning to uncover. We have much to learn from them. I'm sorry if this doesn't answer the question of a soul but I thought it might be of interest to you. Dr Rupert Sheldrake has quite a few videos on you tube that are worthy of further study. I've attached one here.
Excellent, Ian! Pet owners should watch the video. It sounded like my cat was being discussed!
Any pet owner watching this will nod in agreement all the way through. It does answer the question from another direction: examining the things pets can do that we cannot. With that kind of common, widespread evidence, why should we even question the evident fact that they are far better at some things than we are.
Maybe dogs give us credit for our mechanical abilities and discuss among themselves our shortcomings in the mental cognition area.
Yes...it is something I've thought about a lot. Whenever I hear the animals talking to each other I wonder how long it will be until we humans are able to communicate with them directly. The lady with the parrot with a 700 word vocab that has constructed sentences over 7000 times was quite astonishing I thought and serves as an example of just how close we are to our fellow creatures. I look at all animals as worthy souls and they seem to reciprocate that to those that do.
We spend a lot of money and scientific effort on the SETI program (and I make small donations) to look for intelligent life in the galaxy, and I'm all for that. At the same time, we are surrounded by many species who communicate among themselves; species with whom we share the same planet and a large portion of our DNA...yet we cannot communicate with them and make no comparable effort to do so.
Good luck to us on the alien contact part!
Ain't that the truth. I've heard a little about SETI but have never spent much time on off planetary affairs. I've only just reached a place where I think I'm getting a handle on what's going on on this planet. I did have a UFO experience myself about 7 or 8 years ago. I'll write a piece about it tomorrow.
Having been a radio hobbyist for many decades, the idea of finding radio signals from an alien species has always fascinated me, and the SETI program and technology are fascinating. Finding one would mean that there are other beings out there! Even if we never decypher the signal, it would change the way we see the universe and our beliefs.
The notion that we are alone seems incredulous to me given the vastness out there. I have seen a lot of information about extra dimensional beings and many believe that aliens not only have been here but that they are among us. Lots of ancient archeological findings hint at this. It is a vast and fascinating topic which I will probably look into more in the future when I feel the time is right. I just want to get to grips with this dimension first before moving onto others.
I agree completely. However, there is one bug in the ointment that bothers me and lots of others in SETI: the famous question of, "Where is everyone?"
With the size of the universe, the number of G-class stars and the probable number of planets in habitable zones (The Drake Equation), the radio spectrum should be fully teeming with artificial signals. We should have found far more than one by now!
So, where IS everyone? our first TV signals were sent over 70 years ago and we could have received some indication by technological civilizations within 30 light years. Instead, just crickets. Nothing.
I don't believe we are alone, either, but there seems to be nothing... anywhere. I'll put my bets on other life forms in our visible universe before I concern myself with extra-dimensional visitors.
The absence of signals is as interesting as the presence would be.
upvote for me please? https://steemit.com/news/@bible.com/2sysip
In the Bible, they say that dogs have the breath of life, translated from a Hebrew word Reach, meaning soul
https://www.logosapostolic.org/hebrew-word-studies/7307-ruach-spirit.htm
Ecclesiastes 3:19
Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.
I do not think everything is meaningless. There may be no purpose in what is done, but you have to carefully define "meaning". Usually being meaningless is just because you are asking the wrong questions about the process.
I always look at the verses around a verse for context. That helps define what the verse really means. But the soul they speak of, is easy to understand.
I will look at what they mean by meaningless. It will be interesting to see.
:DTotally in a different context, I was reading earlier about "what the sentence actually meant" in the Constitutional amendment being discussed. Liberal lawyers insisted that the semicolon had to be ignored and the preceding phrase ignored, and Conservative counterparts insisted that the initial phrase MUST be included to define the following one, and that's why the semicolon was put there to begin with.
Not following?
Sorry for being vague about the different context.
You had said you looked at what came before and after a verse to help understand the context of what was written - in this case, the meaning of "meaningless". Quite logical to do that.
I had just read about two teams of lawyers arguing about the meaning of a semicolon between two phrases in the 14th amendment to the Constitution. One group insisted that the semicolon disconnected the following phrase from the previous one, while the other team insisted that the entire purpose of a semicolon was to continue one phrase from the previous one.
Imagine lawyers having to agree on an explicit definition of a
word as vague as "meaningless" when they cannot agree what a semicolon is for!
I have a good friend who is a lawyer; who told me that 99% of the lawyers give the rest a bad name! :)
But they will argue anything, if it is to their advantage. Does not matter if their argument makes sense, or not!
Sometimes the translation is suspect on the Bible. My Bible has 4 translations showing on each page. Often they have minor differences.
Which is your preferred version? I was raised with the King James and have always been comfortable with it.
I know dogs are capable of critical thought. I've seen it in action. Throw an object, watch the dog retrieve it. If there's another object nearby, you can often watch the dog go through a thought process to determine which object was the one you threw. Now, whether or not they have souls, that's another matter.
Funny thing, though. There is an older couple in our church who swear up and down that animals don't have souls because "God created man a little lower than the angels." We're his crowning achievement, so that settles it!
Sorry, that argument doesn't wash.
But then you have those others who swear up and down dogs have souls because they're affectionate. All that shows is that they can get excited about the way you smell before you shower. They have emotions, sensations, impulses. So do we. But the similarities end not too far off from there.
Do they have souls? I don't know. And I doubt that anyone else does either. If I was to err, I'd rather err on the side of telling my friend, who hopes they do, that, yes, she'll see her dog in heaven. What does it hurt to have that hope?
I don't know, either, but I like to think they do. Dogs having souls takes nothing from me. Having one does not attest to intelligence, rank or spirituality. It does not violate any known physical laws and it does not infer anything detrimental to belief in one's own soul. A dog having a soul does not compete with me having mine.
Maybe dogs' souls go to dog heaven; that bothers me not, and I do not understand why some people (who mostly have never had dogs) get frothing-at-the-mouth angry at the suggestion. Maybe they feel diminished by admitting animals have souls.
I think one big objection people have to accepting that animals could have souls is that, once accepted, then they could no longer, in good conscience, kill animals for food. No one will discuss that and bringing it up in conversation is guaranteed to end the peace of the moment. The reaction to asking, " would you kill a baby cow and eat it if you knew it had a soul that goes to animal heaven?" would be interesting. Not informative, but interesting.
My high school trigonometry teacher had a sign on the blackboard: "To each his own idea, however uninformed and incorrect it may be."
I always thought it clever because it included everyone.
Hello @willymac !
Congratulations! Thanks for using the #dogsofsteemit hashtag! This post has been chosen as one of the winners for Episode 19 of the #dogsofsteemit challenge.
Can't wait to see more dog photos from you!