I have a dog that I love dearly. He has brought joy to my life and given smiles to the faces of many he has met. There is no doubt in my mind that he has a wise and sensitive soul, knowing right from wrong and doing everything in his power to cheer up someone down in the dumps. When I look at my dog I feel as though his soul is on a higher level than a lot of people I've met. His selfless nature is inspirational.
I have always been able to teach my cats not to kill birds. I do this by giving them lots of positive attention and communicating with them telepathically. I let them know how sad it makes me feel when they kill other beings, and I let them experience my feelings of sadness. All my cats have wanted to please me.
Alex the African gray parrot was able to count and identify colors, and he had a beautiful relationship with his companion, Irene. When Alex died in 2007, his last words to her were “You be good. I love you.”
We can learn much about the soul of animals from the life of saints and sages. Ramana Maharshi, a great Indian Saint, treated the animals who were drawn to his ashram with the same tenderness and reverence he showed his human devotes. He saw no difference. A cow named Lakshme lived at Ramana's ashram for twenty five years. When Ramana sat with his devotes and shared his spiritual presence, Lakshme would come on her own, walk up to the front, and rest her head on Ramana's feet. Whenever special food was prepared at the ashram Ramana would serve Lakshme himself in the hall with the other devotees. He attended to her in that moment as if she were the most precious being alive. In the end, when Lakshme lay dying, Ramana said to her "Mother, do you want me with you?" He put one hand on her heart and one on her head just as he had done with his own human mother as she lay dying. He could tell that Lakshme's heart was filled with devotion to God. When she died he said that she had attained final liberation.
