Do Dogs Have Souls? (Or Spirits?)

Many dog owners know how special dogs are.

They want to know whether their dogs have a soul that will cross over and/or whether they will see their dogs someday in heaven.

While we can’t know for sure what happens when they pass away, the odds are pretty good that they do have souls and that they will be in heaven waiting for you.

And if you ask me, yes, dogs definitely have souls. But, let’s see what the data says.

The Bible

Many people look to the Bible for answers, and it shows a complicated picture of whether animals have souls.

It does say that God created all of the animals and that humans are to have dominion over them.

Many people believe this means they don’t have souls.

But, elsewhere in the Bible, it says that there will be animals in heaven and that “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.”

There is also a passage where there are white horses in heaven, so one could be led to believe that dogs could end up there as well.

While there are many clues to the answer in the Bible, there are passages that can be interpreted in both ways.

In all, there are more passages that suggest that there may be a place in heaven for dogs and other animals.

In Psalm 145 there is a particularly helpful one.

It contains a passage about humans and animals both going to heaven. “…has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His Eternal Kingdom.”

The Metaphysical

A near-death experience, also called an NDE, is a type of experience that is fascinating as well as scientifically interesting.

Scientists have been studying these experiences for a long time, and they find a lot of similarities in the experiences that people have.

One of the things that many of these experiences share is being met in heaven with loved ones waiting.

Often, those loved ones include pets, including dogs.

There have also been a number of instances where people have reported a late dog who has come back as a ghost.

There are also many people who have sensed the presence of their dog’s spirit after death. For these people, they do believe that they were visited by the soul of their beloved pet.

The Brain

Another way to decide this question is to look at the brains of dogs and compare them to human brains.

If humans have souls, we should be able to determine whether dogs do by analyzing their brains, some believe.

This has been done to determine the complexity of a dog’s brain when compared to ours.

The findings are largely that their brains are much like ours.

They are suitably complex, and they share a lot of traits with humans when it comes to emotions and learning.

Like humans, dogs have a section of the brain called the midbrain.

This is an area where emotions happen.

That instruction is very similar for humans and dogs.

The area is the most forward brainstem portion, and it also is associated with hearing, vision, control over motor movements, and more.

This area is both functionally and structurally similar, so we can infer that the emotions of a dog are as complex as that of humans.

They are capable of love, joy, jealousy, anxiety and other complex emotions.

They have the ability to deeply bond with both humans and other dogs.

They often die of sadness when they lose their owner.

Being so like humans, it stands to reason that if humans have souls then dogs do too.

Your Relationship

As an involved pet owner, you get to know your dog very well.

And, the two of you will share a bond.

For dogs, that bond is one that dog owners know is love and devotion.

It isn’t just instinct- they have the capability to love just as well do.

When you experience this love, it’s hard to believe that dogs don’t have souls.

Canine Intelligence

Dogs have the intellectual capabilities of a child who is between one and four years old.

They have the ability to learn quite a lot in their lifetimes.

Dogs are so intelligent that they can be trained for combat as well as serving as service dogs to those with a handicap.

They serve as guide dogs for the blind, helper dogs for the deaf and they can help those who are in wheelchairs with a number of actions.

They can even be trained to sniff out drugs as well as cancer in humans.

Many people correlate intelligence with having a soul.

In this line of reasoning, perhaps snails and bees don’t have souls, but an intelligent animal like a dog would have one.

With such a complex intelligence, it’s hard to think that they might die and not go on to an afterlife.

Spirituality

There are many types of spirituality, and many types recognize that animals have souls.

Dogs even have some of the same chakras as humans, suggesting that they have a spirit within.

For many into spirituality, dogs are spiritual animals.

They bond on a soul level with humans.

They don’t care what you look like, what you do for a living or where you’ve been.

They simply love you deeply.

So, Does a Dog Have a Soul?

There is no way to prove whether dogs have a soul or not.

At least, not yet.

As science develops even further, it may be able to create a method to detect the soul of dogs.

Until then, we can lean into religion, spirituality and existing scientific principles for our answers.

For many people, their dog is a family member who is important and beloved.

It would be ideal if dogs could go to the same afterlife that we do.

And just between you and me, here’s my answer – yes, dogs have souls.

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