Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1894 — Do Dogs Have Souls? [ARTICLE]

Do Dogs Have Souls?

N Y. Sun Dr. Gibler says that the animals, like men, are endowed with souls. Thus nothing would distinguish a man’s from an animal’s soul unless having an intellectual part of his nature different from his soul. Today a reporter asked Dr. Gibler if he thought dogs had souls, and he replied: “Dogshave souls. A dog’s soul is just like a man’s soul, though it lacks some of the properties of the human soul. Dogs have reason. They can communicate with each other and readily make themselves understood to other dogs. This is a matter of everyday observation. As an instance of their reasoning powers I will tell you something that I have noticed myself scores of times. If a dog with hydrophobia appears, the most quarrelsome and vicious dog will become terror-s trickeh ins tan tly no matter how small the mad dog may be. Ido not mean to say that dogs have a spirit. 1 think there is a distinction between the soul and spirit. By soul I mean that the animal has the indestructible vital principle —the principle of life. I not know whether Dr. Pasteur believes that dogs have souls or not. “I know that he has always been as careful of them in operating and making exneriments as if they were human. What do I mean by a spirit differing from a soul? Well, Ido not care to argue that point. It belongs to psychology and it leads too far to discuss.”