Soul Dog: What Happens if You Lose Yours?
By Angeline Simmons, January 10, 2025
Have you ever felt like you and your dog are like E.T. and Elliott? For instance, when you feel an emotion, your dog feels it too, and that deep connection is almost like having a human soulmate.
If you’ve had this experience, you know that having to say goodbye to your soul dog is one of the most devastating experiences you can ever go through.
Read on to learn about what a soul pet is and what happens when one passes away.
What Is a Soul Dog?
When a dog and human have an unbreakable bond, deep trust, an undying connection and mutual love, that’s a soul dog. Also referred to as a “heart dog,” a soul dog’s relationship with their human can’t be forced — it’s a natural connection that makes you feel like you and your pet were meant to be together.
Soul Dog Quotes
It can be challenging to describe the connection you have with your heart dog, because so much of the bond with a pet is unspoken. Even celebrities who lose pets have discussed the unbreakable soul bonds they have with their animals. For instance, after actor Orlando Bloom lost his dog Mighty, he wrote on Instagram, “He was more than a companion. It was a soul connection for sure.”
Here’s how three additional pet owners who lost their pets described their soul dog connection.
Samantha’s Soul Dog
“I knew Rocky was my soul dog when I went through a breakup shortly after I adopted him. I came home and I wasn’t crying, wasn’t outwardly sad — from the outside I would have looked normal. But he knew. He came up and laid down with me in bed, which he never did. He curled up tight to me and didn’t leave my side as I went through my range of emotions. And it was stuff like that every day — he always knew what I was feeling and what I needed, anticipating my needs just like a soulmate.”
Stephen’s Soul Pet
“I met my dog, Gravy, after a friend of mine adopted him as a puppy. As soon as I first held him, I felt like I knew him. There’s no other way to explain it. He looked at me knowingly, and I just immediately felt calm. He was a puppy, and someone else’s puppy! Every time I visited my friend, Gravy would follow me around and sit on my lap. Even if he was running around doing zoomies when I walked in, he’d calm down and cuddle up to me right away. After my friend was transferred to a job out of the country when Gravy was 2 years old, I took him in. From that day on, we were inseparable. He was definitely my soul pet.”
Tania’s Heart Dog
“I wasn’t a dog person for a long time. We always had a dog, but my husband took care of them. And then we got Rosie. She seemed to anticipate when I was going to get out of bed, walk to the mailbox, take the trash out, or anything else. Just before I’d stand up, she would stand up first. It was like she could read my thoughts! Over time, we became best pals. I would even tell her things I couldn’t tell anyone else. We were inseparable for 11 years. I later found out what a heart dog was and knew that the term described my relationship with Rosie.”
Can You Have a Soul Cat?
Yes, it’s absolutely possible to have a deep, unspoken bond with a soul cat, just as it is with a soul dog. Many cat moms and dads are forever connected through energy and emotions with their feline friends, and the bond they have with each other is unmatchable and indescribable.
“I definitely had a soul cat in my life,” said Ankur. “Elvis would lie on my desk all day while I worked, and he even knew when it was 5:00 — he’d start being vocal right around 4:45 to remind me it was time to get up from my desk and hang out with him. He would curl up against my neck while I slept, and followed my every movement. I’ve never had a connection with a person like I did with Elvis.”
What Happens When Your Soul Pet Dies
If you’ve been lucky enough to have a soul pet in your life, you may already know the depths of despair that arrive when your pet crosses the Rainbow Bridge. Of course, it’s achingly devastating when any pet dies. But people who have a connection with a soul dog or cat may experience a deep grief that never goes away because they had such a strong connection with their pet. Soul pets have been depicted in movies like Marley & Me and other films that feature pet loss. But when it happens to you, the pain can be unbearable because you felt such a deep connection to your pet.
In fact, some people say they knew their soul pet was about to die — even if the pet wasn’t sick — because their connection was so deep. They would feel the emotions of anticipatory grief and begin to prepare for their pet’s passing.
If your soul pet passes away, looking at pictures of them, talking about them, or even thinking about them can evoke extremely emotional reactions. That’s completely normal and you should never feel guilty about mourning your soul pet after they’re gone.
Some people report still feeling the presence of their soul pet after the cat or dog passes away. “Once a soul bond is established, it lasts forever, even after the pet leaves this earth,” said Stephen. “No one can know for sure that it lasts through the afterlife as well, but I feel it and I know Gravy is always with me.”