This article was sent to me by a good friend and fellow dog lover. I wanted to share it with you.
Dogs Don’t Have Souls, Do They?
Written by: Charles B. Wells,Jr. from an Ann Landers Column.
I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur. You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears flapping. Once in a while, you’d let out a little yelp just to let me know this was your territory.
Making a mess of the house and chewing on everything in sight became a passion and when I scolded you, you just put your head down and looked up at me with those innocent eyes as if to say,”I’m sorry, but I’ll do it again as soon as you’re not watching.”
As you got older, you protected me by looking out the window and barking at everyone who walked by. When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging just to say, “Welcome home. I missed you.” You never had a bad day and I could always count on you to be there for me.
When I sat down to read the paper or watch TV, you would hop on my lap looking for attention. You never asked for anything more than to have me pat your haed so you could sleep with your head over my leg.
As you got older, you moved around more slowly. Then one day, old age finally took its toll, and you couldn’t stand on those wobbly legs anymore. I knelt down and patted you lying there, trying to make you young again. You just looked up at me as if to say you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me to do one last favor.
With tears in my eyes, I drove you one last time to the vet. One last time you were lying next to me. For some strange reason you were able to stand up in the animal hospital – perhaps it was your sense of pride.
As the vet led you away, you stopped for an instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say, “Thank you for taking care of me.”
I thought, “No – Thank YOU for taking care of ME.”
While posting this my eyes filled with tears, but I was also smiling. Look into your dog’s eyes and you can clearly see his soul. It is right there for you to see and it is wondrous.