I believe deep down that all animals have a soul and they are like little people who cannot talk. They are smarter than any human gives them credit for. Do you think it's each persons perspective and that the animals are just acting out what they learn from us? Or do you believe animals are very much like humans but they aren't given the credit that they deserve. They may not speak but I think they know what were saying. My dog used to go to "Her Room" without me pointing or raising my voice. It was time for bed and I would say "go to your room" and she would. Do you think it was just a habit formed?
I think it's a combination of both their personalities and their environment. My cat knows that his place in the house is in my room, so when he gets inside the house he goes straight to my room. I do believe that all animals have a soul and have their own unique personalities too, just like humans, and I believe we will see them when we die. Here's an interesting article about them having souls:Log In
No one knows for sure if animals have souls or not. But they do have personalities and some kind of intelligence that's a little bit different from ours. Most of what they do can be attributed to learned behavior. Animals can learn things because they have just enough intelligence to do so.
Animals , such as dogs and cats, definitely have feelings and personalities. Even creatures you may not expect to be as smart, such as octopuses, are actually some of the most intelligent animals out there. Elephants too, are highly intelligent and emotional animals. I was reading an article about a particular zoo which took in an abandoned baby elephant that it's mother had rejected, and the baby elephant was literally crying over not having a mother to look after it. Some zoo's also have to bring in other animals to console a mother animal if she loses her offspring. Such was the case with one zoo that was trying to cheer up a female tiger who lost all of her liter, so they brought in some baby piglets, dressed in tiger fur pattered vests, to nurse from her and calm her down.
Animals have a group soul, which is something that might be hard to understand for people who have no affinity with animals. Every creature has feelings and fears death. How can humans be indifferent to the slaughtering of millions of animals that they merely regard as "resources"?
Animals have their respective personalities often formed by a number of factors including the way their owners treat them and their overall environment. As to whether or not they have souls, only those who've been to the afterlife can tell. Some animals do exhibit a streak of stubbornness. If you use the wrong approach, they won't heed you. I guess the relationship between you and your dog has reached its pinnacle (in other words, you've both come to a mutual understanding of each other).
I guess it depends on the type of animal but animals are a lot more intelligent than some people give credit for. I think animals also care generally more than people. I know dogs definitely do because while they do have their own negative traits they would not intentionally hurt you.
I agree that animals do have personalities all their own. My two dogs certainly do, Buddy is more of a agressive bully type who barks at the drop of a hat, while Oso is more the protective, mature one. Then there is Pepper and her four kittens, each of them has a personality all their own. Its actually funny to watch them at times, because of this. As for a soul, I am of the belief that any living thing has a soul. After all, its the soul that puts life into the shell known as the body.
I can definitely say that my puppy has feelings and personality! He gets very sad when someone leave and droopy. My daughter brought her dog home once in a while, and he loved playing with his new friend, visiting with my daughter. But when she left and took her dog with her; my puppy withdrew right away and just sit in his kennel feeling and looking quite miserable.
Habit seems like a big part of animals & their personalities. However, sometimes changing all that & uprooting an animal doesn't change them at all. So, it's possible that they are born with certain temperaments & quirks that will surface regardless of who raises them.
I've never believed the whole thing about animals not having a soul. I believe that all living things come from the collective consciousness, and when all living beings die, they return from whence they came. That includes animals. They certainly do have their own little personalities. My friend's cat has an almost superior attitude. He is absolutely beautiful, and it is like he knows it, and knows he doesn't have to put up with any crap from humans, because have you seen him? Lol.
Yes, that was a habit, but still very smart. Animals learn our language much like we do.. they get the idea and they certainly read body language etc. In many ways, they are smarter than us. ALL animals. I don't believe in the soul, but I do believe we are all beings, deserving of respect. Tis why I'm vegan I have five cats. All very different. One is my little fluffy princess. She came to us very broken and sick and now she's my baby apparently lol.. follows me everywhere and I love every minute of it. She's very funny and brave, despite her rough start. Another is very empty LOL.. she appears to be thinking absolutely nothing at all times, but I know she's plotting her escape or something. She's extremely loving when she wants to eat though. I won't get into the others, this is getting too long. I've had a million rescues over the years and each and every one of them were like finger prints. And they all had very big hearts.. even the empty one haha.. she's a totally different cat with my youngest son. He's her person.. it seems in the end, we're THEIR pets, not the other way around
I agree dogs are incredibly smart, way more than we think, and I also agree they have feelings. But in the case you mentioned I believe your dog does that as a habit. My last dog was not allowed in the bedrooms (back when I lived with my parents), so she knew from my mom getting mad at her whenever she tried. My current dog is so used to me allowing him pretty much anywhere he wants that he won't have any cautiousness to where he goes.
I am not really much of a fan of dogs. Never have been, and I suspect that I never really will be. I have respect for them in the sense that I do not trouble them, if I am forced to be around them. But they make me uncomfortable, and I do not enjoy their 'animal smell?' Though, dogs - just like the other animals that I have come across in my life - also all seem to have personalities.
I do believe that animals have souls, and I expect to see all of the ones I've loved during my lifetime after death. Each also has his/her own personality, and they learn to adapt to us and our personalities, as well as those of their fellow animals. They can sense distress, and are often more humane than humans, in my opinion.
Our 3 dogs presently have their own personalities or character trait. Tisoy, the eldest which is a mix of spitz and pomeranian is mild-mannered. Barbie, the youngest which is pekingese is a ruffian, she is a bully even though small. Tisoy, the hyperactive pug is a food lover. He would only come to my beck and call when I have food in my hands.
My family had a cat like that when I was a teen. I was her favorite human, which made me feel quite special. Sadly she died when she was five years old. To this day I still miss her. I’ve observed so many different cat personalities while volunteering. Some are shy, some are super friendly, some are scared and like to lash out because of it, some love to cause trouble, and some are a combination. One of my favorite parts of volunteering is getting to know these wonderful animals and see the differences in personality.
