Man's Best Friend - For Eternity?
Is there a "doggie
Heaven"? Some question whether or not animals have souls and what happens
when our furry, feathered, gilled, and scaled friends die. As parents, most of
us tell our grieving children that poor ole Fido is playing Frisbee with God.
How true is this?
Our position is that our pets do have souls.
Whether or not our pets are waiting for us is something we may have to wait to
answer until our time is up. Some people believe that only humans have souls
and are rewarded with an afterlife - we consider this a rather myopic view.
We all know that animals have a level of
intelligence and they each have a unique personality. They have free will -
they do what they want. This is what separates plants and animals. A human
soul, and the spirits we encounter, has intelligence and personalities. Those
are the qualities that make us who we are. So why can't animals have
souls?
New evidence in the field of paranormal
research is being discovered which is good news to the animal lovers out there.
We are believers in the matter, so we do not need convincing. There are two
different types of paranormal experiences that can be attributed to animals -
residual energy and spirits. Sounds familiar? Just like with people.
Residual Energy
Residual energy for me is one of the most
mind-boggling aspects of our field. For me, the idea of a spirit with thought,
feelings, hopes, and intent seems perfectly normal. The thought of energy
somehow being recorded and the ability of that energy to play in a loop or
under certain circumstances is just plain amazing.
We do not consider residual to be a soul. To
us, it is simply a recording. Simply put, it is the energy left behind from a
living being. Residuals have no thought, no concept of their surroundings, no
current emotion (the emotion of that time was recorded.)
There are many examples of residual energy
left behind by animals. EVPs from battlefields have been recorded with horse
gallops, old prisons have dogs barking, even homes can have a residual
"pet".
Intelligent Haunts
These are the cases that really excite us. An
intelligent haunt is caused by a spirit who has intelligence and is aware of
their surroundings.
We are aware of claims of spirits of pets
that interact with their owners or current residents. Imagine sitting on a
couch and have the feeling that something just jumped into your lap and decided
to make itself comfortable. You then realize you do not own a cat and you
glance down and no one is there. Guess what - it happens!
Why would a pet's spirit stick around? Since
they do not talk we can only speculate. Some human spirits stay because they
feel a strong attachment to a location or person. Some stay because of
confusion. I can see these reasons applying to the animal kingdom as well.
Humans can have many explanations as to why their spirit may linger - but it
would be a stretch to apply some of those theories to Spot or Fluffy.
One well-known experience people have
reported is of a cat that was spotted in a lighthouse. When repairs were made
to the light keeper's house, a skeleton of a cat was found in the crawlspace.
After it was found, the men started to see a cat. The cat was then put on
exhibit, where he was seen as well. He was moved back to his place and is
purrfectly (sorry) content appearing to walk his favorite grounds.
A common experience is of a person feeling a
sensation of being brushed against as if a cat is rubbing up against them or a
dog gently nudging them. Residuals are not capable to produce this
feeling.
Another common claim is an owner feeling a
deceased pet jumping in their beds and lying down in their familiar position.
Other people will see the apparition of their deceased pet. Could the mind be
manufacturing an image? Not every time.
Is it Residual or Intelligent?
The challenging part of dealing with an
animal is trying to answer the question whether it is residual or a spirit. We
may be able to catch a loud and clear bark or meow, but just by sound cannot
answer that question.
In analyzing human residuals or spirits we
have an easier time. If energy associated with a human answers questions,
responds when asked, or is aware of us; we call that an intelligent haunt. If
we capture a word and the energy in question does not meet the criteria of an
intelligent haunt it may be residual.
So what then is a bark or meow? Since they cannot
talk, we have no clue what they are "saying". If it is just a noise,
we are classifying it as residual energy.
Visual apparitions can also be residual
energy as well. For example, some battlefields have "battles" that
occur that many witness. The participants do not acknowledge or seem to care
that a living person is standing in front of him. As such, we cannot classify
visual as intelligent. If someone sees their deceased pet running up the stairs
regularly, it can be a residual energy replaying itself or a spirit running to
her favorite spot.
We have to look at the entire picture before
we can conclusively state our findings. We look for interaction, or lack
thereof. We look for patterns or randomness. Of course, we look for other
logical answers first.
Growling
One item that we are aware of is the sound of
growling that some may hear or have recorded as an EVP. One’s first instinct is
to panic because all the things culture has told us, indicates that this is a
demon. However, that may not be the case in some growling cases. Just as humans
can choose to stay behind in our realm, animals can remain behind too. It is
possible that dogs may choose to stay behind to guard their owner or property.
Just as they acted when they were alive, this dog may growl if they feel
someone gets a little too close to their owner or their property. So do not
panic if growling is heard – there may be an alternate explanation for it.
Conclusion
So do pets haunt their owners? Yes, we use the word
haunt to mean occasions of residual energy. However, in our opinion there are
intelligent spirits of our beloved pets who may nuzzle up against us and go for
walks with us.
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Paranormal Information 
