Beloved Beings

 A year ago today, we had to say the final goodbye to our precious little dog, Shamus. He was a sweet and devoted friend for 13 trips around the sun and no one will ever convince me that our dear animal companions don't have souls. Shamus had deep beautiful brown eyes, silky white and reddish brown fur  and a loving, trustful, empathic nature. His greatest joy was just to spend time with us, doing the things we loved, like hikes and car rides, road trips and family visits.

I grieved his loss as powerfully as I had close family members, as if a part of my heart had been ripped out and was open and raw. This may sound odd to anyone who hasn't deeply loved an animal, but many will understand that special bond. 

The question of whether our animal friends have a soul, whether their spirits live on, is open to debate, but I feel in my heart that some part of them continues. If we look at the issue biblically, it's obvious that God cherishes all his creatures, great and small, from the birds in the air to the whales in the sea. The bible also makes reference to the breath of life, or "spirit", being in animals as it is in humans. Hindus believe that humans can be reincarnated as animals and vice versa. So who's to say for sure?

Perhaps being loved by a human elevates the spiritual status of an animal friend: they observe us closely and want to be more like us. 

I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called "The Hidden Lives of Pets" that shows animals of all kinds doing amazingly human like things: dancing; communicating via buttons and buzzers; consoling humans who are suffering; etc. It's fascinating to begin to understand that animals of all kinds are sentient beings that express love and other emotions and are capable of helping us in so many ways.

I am so very thankful for the time that we had with our dear friend Shamus and he will always hold a special place in my heart. Maybe one day, when I feel ready to open myself up to the joy and pain of pet ownership, I will welcome a new beautiful being into my life.