Majella Reid

If we’re open to it, for every person there is a soul animal. This is a being that attaches itself to us with a depth that can’t be explained in every day language. This being is different from spirit animals, who walk with us in spirit, guiding us in this lifetime and beyond.

A soul animal is an earthly companion, one where the connection resonates deep within our hearts. For many people, this animal is a pet dog or cat. For me, it is Bailey, my Bichon Frise dog.

Six years old, Bailey is sensitive and mellow. That is until my cat Winston appears. Then he growls as he nudges Winston around the room with his nose.

Winston ignores him as he claims his place on the stool, at a height from Bailey. The latter continues to growl, retreating slowly to his bed. They are not best friends, but they are not complete enemies.

Bailey is not a rescue and his entrance into my life is suspect. I bought Bailey as a very young puppy. The car pulled up in the church car park and out stepped a teenage girl. Our meeting was prearranged via the internet. From her back seat, she took out a small white furball.

When I held Bailey in my arms for the first time, I asked myself, ‘Is this dog for me?’ And I felt a resounding ‘yes’. I made a promise there and then, to him and to myself, that I was going to love this dog with all my heart.

And I have.

Much has happened over the last six years. Riley, my other dog, was rehomed just before Covid, and as the lockdowns set in, Bailey, Winston and I formed a physical trio in our little nook of the world.

I can’t imagine life without Bailey, or indeed Winston, though one day I may have to. If there comes a time that they cross the Rainbow Bridge before I make my transition, the grief will be immense.

Soul animals become as close, if not closer, than some family. Their loss leaving a void that cannot be filled by another. Their memory intense in its recall.

To open your heart to an animal is to also open your heart to humanity. The more we feel, the greater we empathise, and the stronger we grow.

A soul animal is one you love with all your soul.