I am a avid fan of author Jon Katz, who writes mostly about dogs and life on his farm. His new book, Soul Of A Dog will be coming out in August. I follow his blog regularly and with his new book coming out he has been writing about how he feels about dogs and if they have souls. In a recent post he wrote this:
"I am not certain whether or not dogs have souls, but I am more focused on saving their spirits. Dogs need to be dogs. Border collies need to work. Labs need to wallow in muck, and all dogs need work, exercise and attention of one sort or another. In our rush to turn dogs into existential versions of ourselves we risk taking their souls and spirits away.
I think dogs are in danger of losing their souls to people who want to love them so much that they sometimes forget to respect their true nature as wondrous animals, not adorable versions of people. It makes me sad to hear people tell me so enthusiastically that their dogs are like children to them. To me dogs are like dogs, and children are like children. I try and respect the nature of my dogs, and permit them to be what they need to be, not what I need them to be. Sometimes I fail in that, but I will keep trying."
Ever since I started reading Jon's work I do agree with him that we need to let dogs be dogs. I don't consider Frankie or Kylie my children, but they are a big part of my life and also I consider them part of my family. I do believe animals have souls. I just can't imagine that these beautiful breathing beings do not.
I love the statement Jon makes that he tries to respect the nature of dogs. I know for me, one thing I have learned from my lab, Kylie, is to just accept who she is. Typically labs are known to fetch balls, swim and love to ride in the car. Kylie does not like any of these things, yet she is content to just hang out and love us. She is not depressed or not any less of a lab, it is just who she is and so we love her for being just that.
I'd love to hear what others think about dogs having souls, so please do share your thoughts!