Nice thread. There are some smart people on this forum, so let me apologize in advance of my post... :)
I believe animals have souls. I've never believed in or followed any religion.
Seraphim: That was interesting information (much of it over my head). This point struck me tho: "... in a famous conversation, (Einstein) mourned the fact that the present tense, "now", lay "just outside of the realm of science"
The "present tense" does not just lay outside the realm of science. Humans - esp in the west - struggle to Be in the present. Our 'consciousness' mostly consists of thoughts of the past or the future. Rarely can people suspend judgement and live in the moment. Animals, on the other hand, have mastered this. Some say this is because they are lesser beings...
Some thoughts (take 'em or leave 'em) from a (non-religious) book "Guardians of Spirit"
"We have forgotten what rocks, plants and animals still know. We have forgotten how to be -- to be still, to be ourselves, to be where life is: Here and Now."
"When you don't cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought. A Depth returns to your life. Things regain their newness and their freshness."
"What is it that so many people find enchanting in animals? Their essence -- their Being - is not covered by the mind, as it is in most humans. And whenever you Feel that essence in another, you also feel it in yourself."
"When you are present you can sense the spirit, in every creature and love it as yourself. "
Cold Steel - great pictures. Yep, Moggy is shameless, cuz Moggy doesn't judge. ;)
Data Dog - your story of Mike the gorrila and apple was wild.
Lisa Rose - like your story of your shelter pup - glad you found each other.