What happens to dog spirits after death?
We often refer to the death of our dogs as crossing the rainbow bridge, but what do we really know about the afterlife for them.
Do they live on in spirit in some fashion? Can we sense them?
Let’s examine a little bit about dog spirits after death.
Human and Dog Relationships
Dogs and humans develop incredibly strong bonds. Owing in large part to the exceptional and unconditional love that dogs have for humans.
Dogs are considered man’s best friend for a reason. I can recall the many times my dog knew that I was sad, crushed with heartbreak.
She would crawl next to me and stay with me on the couch as I cried myself to sleep. She listened to my irrational words. Dogs do not judge our mistakes.
They don’t tell us, “I told you so.” They. Just. Love.
So it is not unusual for dog owners to wonder about what happens to dog spirits after death. I think we just want to know that they are okay on “the other side.”
This probably leads to why we have encounters with our deceased dogs. Whether you believe it is a true encounter or your mind playing tricks on you.
Encounters with Dog Spirits After Death
Many dog owners can recount times they have seen, heard or felt their dog’s spirit.
In many cases, these accounts come from third-parties that weren’t even aware the dog had passed away.
Some people have very minor encounters, while others swear they were able to actually pet the deceased dog.
There are certainly those that fully believe dog spirits after death purposefully seek out their humans.
One such example is Amanda Linette Meder, whose blog lists 10 signs you can look for to see if your dog is reaching out to you after death.
The Reunion Theory
According to Psychology Today, it is possible these encounters are due to a concept called the “reunion theory.”
This theory suggests that the emotional response we feel after any loved one dies is an evolutionary side-effect to the grief that causes a search effect when a loved one is lost and we seek to find them.
The hypervigilance of a person that is grieving can cause what experts refer to as “false recognition.” These are simply misinterpretations to stimuli that do actually occur.
Experts believe that the stronger the bond between human and dog, the more likely false recognitions are to occur.
We may never know whether there is a scientific reason that humans experience these encounters, but the numerous accounts tell us that for one reason or another, dogs seem to have a profound effect on humans even after death.
If dog spirits do remain here on Earth, why?
Perhaps the strong bond and the exceptional love that dogs have for their humans creates a connection that causes dog spirits after death to remain close to their humans.
Or maybe our canine companion’s spirits remain and they become our guardian angels.
Whatever the reason may be, it seems that many people that were incredibly attached to their dogs, do have encounters with them in some way.
While we will likely never truly know what happens to dog spirits after death, we can hope that they are at peace, wagging their tails and chewing on a bone across the Rainbow Bridge.