Lady Cream's death devastated me.  She had been more human than animal.
Her devotion to me resulted in a companionship that lasted 5 years.  Despite
annual care at the vets, no one spotted her cancer.  Did she have a SOUL?
What do you think?

A few months after I lost Lady Cream,I went on the Internet to check
rescues.    One afternoon  I saw a pair of eyes peering at me from my
computer.  They were attached to a Golden Retriever mix called, Sarah.  Both
of us had something wrong.  She wasn't what was advertised; neither was I.

I could have returned Sarah, but when I discovered that she had been to four
other homes, I couldn't send her back.   Here we were.  She was a
sad-faced, semi-wild, aggressive street kid who had never been socialized.
I was the heroine invaded by this still  nondiagnosed STRANGER WITHIN.
We'll probably never see the ideal, but  we've come a long way!   What we do
have is  Sarah's  SOUL, her goodness and her understanding  without
instruction.  For example, she's seen me fall a couple of times, and she's
seen how difficult it is to recover.   She will sit by me very quietly
until I tell her to move.  In addition, Sarah loves to run and jump after
thrown toys, but she will wait quietly while I pick up the toy before it is
thrown.  At night, when I prepare for bed, she automatically sits upon my
bed and waits for me to climb in.  Then she takes her position at the door.
I only know one thing.  Sarah is a good old SOUL, and I wouldn't want her
any other way!
E



----- Original Message -----
From: "Peggy Willocks" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 3:35 PM
Subject: Do Animals Have Souls?


> I just wanted to share my journal entry for today with all of you.  It
helps
> me to get rid of some heavy baggage and helps  you to know me a little
> better.  I will just give you excerpts, and you can read the full entry
> here:
>
> http://www.plwp.org/journal_view_peg.asp
>
> Peggy
>
>
>
> Journal excerpt:
>
> Today, July 12, 2005, we put our pet pug of nearly 15 years to sleep.
> Euthanasia . . .  we made the choice.  He is blind with one eye ruptured,
> nearly totally deaf, has horrible arthritis, and probably many other
> ailments of which we're not aware.   He gasps for air upon any exertion,
and
> I am sure would be content to just sleep all day for another 4-5 years.
But
> in dog years he is 98 - his body is slowly deteriorating, and the family
> would not have him suffer for anything.  We have all cried as much for his
> loss as much as we would any other member of the family.  For those who
> don't have "family" pets, I can never explain how we are feeling.
>
> I reminisce about his adoption into our family.  My son had graduated from
> high school and his one request was for a puppy.  We scanned the paper's
> classified ads for the "perfect" dog at the perfect price.  My husband
> wanted a Boston terrier - those cute little black and white dogs with the
> stubby tail.  His parents had one, and that was his request.  On the other
> hand, I recalled when growing up that our neighbors had a Chinese pug -
> anything but cute!  But I remembered how unique that breed of dog was, and
> there just above the ad for the Boston terriers was one for a pug.  I told
> the kids about it, but I didn't share this with my husband.  Our last
> warning as the three kids and I drove away was my husband yelling, "Don't
> take the checkbook - we want to think about this."
>
> We decided to look at the pug first.  The ad read, "Chinese pug puppy -
> parents on the premises - $150."  That was a bargain!  But remember, we
> didn't take the checkbook.  We drove up to the trailer park lot and saw a
> young man outside.  This was before cell phones, so we hadn't called ahead
> or anything.  "We'd like to see the puppy you have for sale."  The slender
> man quickly went into the trailer and returned with the pup and his very
> pregnant wife.  It was love at first sight!  His little wrinkled forehead
> and curled up tail were irresistible!
>
>  *   *   *   *   *
>
> Yes, we have good memories of Festus.  Our walls and photo albums have
> Festus displayed just like any other family member.  And the grandkids
loved
> him, too.  But they were beginning to beat up on him because he got in
their
> way and couldn't move fast enough to escape their path, oblivious to that
> fact.  And the pain of not seeing him every morning, not hearing him
grunt,
> snort and sputter each day, or yelping whenever I went outside without him
> will take some getting used to, but I know that he is better off.
>
> I don't believe in human euthanasia, but I better understand that once
this
> earthly body has worn out or is riddled with illness to the point that
one's
> quality of life is so limited, then a prayer for that person to go on to
> another dimension is not a bad thought.  Once, my son asked me if animals
> had a soul.  Many years ago I told him "no;" but today I cannot imagine
> Festus being anywhere but in "doggie heaven."
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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> In the body of the message put: signoff Parkinson

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