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1. Introduction To Animals and the NDE
People throughout history have wondered whether animals possess souls and share in a spiritual destiny with humans beyond physical death. Near-death experiences (NDEs) consistently answer this question, offering vivid testimonies that challenge the idea that consciousness and spiritual identity belong exclusively to humans. In these NDEs, animals are encountered as conscious presences participating in the same spiritual reality that humans enter after death. They appear as companions, communicators, and expressions of the same living God that permeates all of creation. Animals are often seen as intimately connected to humans, animated by the same life force, love, and intelligence that underlies existence itself. Altogether, these testimonies show that animals are ensouled beings whose spiritual continuity and relationship with humans extend beyond earthly life.
Many of the NDE testimonies referenced in this article are drawn from firsthand accounts generously shared on the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF.org) website. I gratefully acknowledge NDERF and its founders, Dr. Jeffrey Long and Jody Long, for their decades of dedication to collecting, preserving, and publishing the world’s most comprehensive archives of NDE testimonies.
2. Animals Have Souls
One of the most enduring questions humans ask is whether animals possess souls and share in a spiritual destiny beyond physical death. NDEs repeatedly challenge the notion that consciousness and spiritual identity are exclusive to humans. NDErs report heavenly encounters with animals as souls who are intimately connected to God as humans are. Animals appear as our ensouled companions who express the same underlying life force that animates all existence.
Kathi B. was asked by the Being of Light what form it wanted to take including animals: “So the thoughts came into my head: what kind of form or shape would make you most comfortable?” “What do you mean?” I thought back. “Some require me to take the shape of a wise old man, others a woman and still others an animal, all of different races, ages, sizes or species. What about you?” I thought without hesitation “Human.”
Gerry L. learned that animals have their own gods and goddesses and their own heaven: “I realized that everything is part of God. Even animals have their own gods and goddesses – they have their own heaven. And we all go to merge with All Encompassing Being when we die.”
Howard Pittman learned that animals have souls: “The animals in this world also have a soul.”
Sandi T. learned that pets have souls: “Your pets do indeed have souls, and they did indeed come here (Earth) to serve you, in great love, as companions.”
Scott H. received much knowledge concerning pets and learned that animals have souls: “The messages I got were the answers to questions anyone that anyone who has ever owned a pet, whether in childhood or ever, always wanted to know. They have a connection, not only in life where you feel a connection, a love. I always felt that way. You know there are religions that believe that animals don’t go to heaven because they don’t have souls, but I know better.”
Betty R. learned that animals go where all beings who have souls go: “I definitely knew after that, that animals go where all things with a soul do. We are all energy and animals do not question their maker.”
P.M.H. Atwater describes animals and plants having souls: “Because human forms contain larger portions of a soul mass than many other types of form, they represent opportunities of greater diversity, challenge, and involvement. Yet even animals, minerals, plants, and planets, enfold degrees of ensoulment replete with intelligence, feeling, and volition.”
NDE researcher Dr. Jack Hiller states that NDE out-of-body perception includes the consciousness of animals: “A striking feature of OBE perception is that all entities observed exhibit consciousness, not only relatives and friends who have passed, and angels, but rocks, grass, flowers, trees, animals – even water. This experience is consistent with the ancient philosophy of panpsychism.”
A study revealed that plants and animals exhibit “primary perception“: During his NDE, Mellen-Thomas Benedict was given the names of several people whose discoveries would one day be seen as on a par with those of Newton or Einstein. One of the names given to him was “Cleve Backster.” After his NDE, Benedict tracked him down. Cleve Backster (www.primaryperception.com) is best known for his experiments with biocommunication in plant and animal cells using a polygraph machine in the 1960s which led to his theory of “primary perception.” Cleve Backster’s study was partially replicated in 1973 by Dr. Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ at Stanford University
Amy Call learned that God is within everything including animals: “I had that Knowing that there was the essence or spark of the Highest (as I’ll refer to ‘God’) in EVERYTHING, in every atom, mineral, vegetable, animal, human and beyond.”
Fiona M. learned that God is within humans and animals: “The Supreme Being is in all of us, including animals. ‘All the many are One.'”
Simran W. learned that animals and insects are a part of God: “God is light. It was soothing, calm, and loving. I felt that we are all a part of that light, including animals and insects.”
Mathilde M. learned that animals are part of the light: “The light gave me the ability to deeply understand what Life really is. It enabled human beings, animals, plants, and me to know the unique source that generates us all… All living beings are part of this light.”
Mira S. learned that even animals and plants are God: “I knew that I was and ‘I AM’ all there was to know! Just like myself, all of creation wherever and however it existed; whether human, animal, mammal, plant, or nature, all were full in themselves. All were and are God, a beautiful glorious expression of that same Fullness. Creation was just Divinity experiencing itself through Its Creation!”
Bella F. learned that plants and animals are God: “I had the impression we ourselves, inclusive of plants and animals, are God.”
David Oakford was shown “energy” emanating from plants and animals on Earth: “I could see what the [Being of Light] told me was energy emanating from almost everything I could see, especially the plant and animal life.”
Al H. saw animals in heaven including those that do not exist on Earth: “[I saw] lions, tigers, deer, rabbits, cats, dogs, animals I’ve never seen before and do not exist on Earth. Everything is here, but there is no fighting, no hunting, no feeding, the animals do not attack one another.”
During his NDE, Aaron M. saw unearthly animals residing on other planets in the universe: “The life-force then shows me worlds and places I’ve never imagined, so far away from earth where other life exists and some places that are just completely empty. I distinctly remember seeing another planet… Running through the trees was something that looked like a cross between a Yak and an Orangutan. It was a huge, muscular animal charging quickly through the wild… I realize just how huge the universe is. Earth is just a tiny part of an endless world.”
Diane C. saw animals in heaven including a unicorn: “I first came to an absolutely serene and beautiful countryside. This is where I saw animals (including unicorns) and they were so beautiful and contented, so full of LOVE… a vibration of Love flowed back to me from them.”
OBE expert Jerry Gross states that extinct animals can be seen in afterlife realms: “Animals that became extinct on Earth live in the astral realms.”
Animal studies have shown increased mental activity after cardiac arrest. The neurophysiological footprint of brain activity after cardiac arrest and during NDEs is not well understood. Although a hypoactive state of brain activity has been assumed, experimental animal studies have shown increased activity after cardiac arrest, particularly in the gamma-band, resulting from hypercapnia prior to and cessation of cerebral blood flow after cardiac arrest. No study has yet investigated this matter in humans until a study was completed by Raul Vicente et al entitled “Enhanced Interplay of Neuronal Coherence and Coupling in the Dying Human Brain.” In this study, the authors present a continuous electroencephalography (EEG) recording from a dying human brain, obtained from an 87-year-old patient undergoing cardiac arrest after traumatic subdural hematoma.
3. Living Animals Can Sense the Spirit
Animals have long been regarded as sensitive to unseen phenomena. They appear to be able to perceive shifts in energy that escape ordinary human awareness. NDEs add a compelling reality to this belief, offering evidence that living animals are able to respond directly to human consciousness during NDEs. Dogs and cats are seen reacting with focused attention when a person is out of body. In some cases, animals seem to act as messengers urging the NDEr to return to life.
NDE researchers Robert and Suzanne Mays documented Jerry Casebolt’s NDE at age seven, where he hovered above and just out of reach of a dog on a playground, with the dog repeatedly wagging its tail, jumping up and barking at him. They looked into each other’s eyes; Jerry was moving up, down and to the sides; they moved together like a dance (Corcoran, 1996, p. 81; Casebolt, personal communication, 3 August 2008). The case of a dog seeing and tracking an NDEr suggests that the light emitted might be in the UV range since dogs have greater visual acuity than humans in the blue and purple frequencies and presumably also in the UV range.
Fred B. was out-of-body when his living cat sensed he was dying: “I would still be aware that my earthy body was lying on the sofa. My cat would start meowing, as if it could sense a different level of energy or that something was happening to me. I clearly left my body and existed outside it.”
Kevin L. saw his living pets react to his NDE: “I noticed my pug, Yoda, sitting at my right foot. He was just staring at me and quivering with excitement… I saw my favorite cat Luna, sitting at my left foot brushing her head against my leg. I can tell she is purring like a well-tuned motor and I realize that these animals can feel all these positive emotions that have filled this room, just like I can.”
Tina T.‘s living dog told her to come back from death: “Then I saw my living dog, named Goblin… She communicated telepathically to let me know that I had to come back to my life. I was shown images of all the dogs who needed my leadership and care, and how my work is not yet done. I own a dog daycare business and own a large pack of dogs myself.”
“Oscar the Cat” (2005-2022) became famous for his uncanny ability to sense when patients were nearing death at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rhode Island. Unlike an ordinary therapy animal, Oscar showed little interest in most residents – yet when someone was close to passing, he would deliberately enter their room, curl up beside them, and remain there until death occurred. Staff soon noticed a striking pattern: Oscar’s vigil almost always coincided with a patient’s final hours, often predicting death with remarkable accuracy. Oscar came to public attention in 2007 when he was featured in an article by geriatrician David Dosa in the New England Journal of Medicine.
4. NDEs Involving Deceased Pets
NDEs often describe heaven as a realm of light where the bonds between humans and animals continue. In these testimonies, deceased pets and other animals appear as recognizable in personality and presence, yet restored healthy, radiant, and sometimes younger than they were on Earth. Deceased pets and animals may sometimes appear as joyful greeters. They may travel beside NDErs as gentle spirit guides or communicate through telepathy. This section includes testimonies from both researchers and NDErs showing that love is not limited by species, and that companionship can survive physical death. For example, child NDErs describe visiting an “animal heaven” while adult NDErs meet beloved dogs and cats in luminous afterlife realms. The relationship between humans and animals are transformed after death continuing forward where the souls of animals, like the souls of humans, remain connected and profoundly loved.
a. Encountering Deceased Pets
NDEs frequently include encounters with deceased pets which shows that the human–animal connection does not end with death but continues in heaven. In such NDEs, deceased pets often appear as sources of comfort and joy – sometimes greeting, sometimes guiding, and sometimes communicating telepathically.
NDE researcher Dr. Jeffrey Long on seeing deceased pets in heaven: “Beloved pets that died are also regularly seen in NDEs. Whether NDErs meet cherished deceased people or pets, the reunions are characteristically very joyful.”
Jan Price said our deceased pets appear in heaven as we remember them: “Our deceased pets appear in heaven the way we remember them, only younger and more vital. We can communicate with them telepathically. They also have dwelling places of their own.”
According to P.M.H. Atwater‘s NDE research, children sometimes describe an animal heaven they must visit before they can go to the heaven where people are. Additionally, Atwater reports that the initial “greeters” (including animals) in NDEs can be ranked in the order of most frequently encountered as follows: (1) Light beings or bright ones (“beings of light,” kids generally call them “The People”); (2) Angels, such angels are with or without wings; (3) Deceased loved ones; (4) God or God’s Presence or God’s Voice; (5) Religious figures; (6) Animals (most often beloved pets who are deceased, yet there are many of non-pets such as horses, lions, or even chickens, who come as “spirit guides” or to deliver a message.)
NDE researcher Todd Murphy states that child NDErs who are too young to have deceased friends may see a deceased pet instead: “Joyful reunions with beloved friends who have passed may facilitate positive affect in postmortem states of consciousness. Those too young to have deceased friends but have lost a pet may see the pet instead (Serdahely, 1989-1990). Those who have not lost a pet might see a comforting object such as a toy (Morse, 1994).”
NDE researcher Aziz Khabirpour says that some NDErs report being guided by a deceased pet: The deceased people that NDErs encounter in their NDEs are usually people that played an important role in ones life. NDE testimonies have also been reported where the dead person is guided around by his/her pet, that he/she used to have.
The late NDE researcher Arvin Gibson documented John Hernandez’s NDE involving encountering deceased family pets: “[The light] parted, and John saw numerous people, many who were his deceased relatives, and pets were there along with members of his family.”
Roy Horn (1944-2020) saw his beloved deceased animals during his NDE. Horn was one of the German-American duo of former stage magicians and entertainers known as Siegfried & Roy. In 2003, Horn was bitten on the neck by his 380-pound white tiger named Montecore in front of 1,500 horrified audience members resulting in an NDE. Horn described his NDE: “I saw a bank of white light, and then I saw all my beloved animals. For a moment I stepped out of my body.”
Carmel Bell encountered her deceased animals in heaven: “I was aware that my animals that had passed over were also in heaven. I played and talked with them for a while which was terrific.”
Riley H. saw his pets in heaven: “God also revealed the structure of Heaven: people working, living with joy, purpose, and community, without pain or the limitations of time… Pets were there.”
Suzanne B. saw the souls of deceased pets in heaven: “As I passed through the rainbow, I too picked up extra sparkle only to discover that these glittering pulses of light were the souls of the pets we had loved during our lifetime. Their souls were in the rainbow waiting for us as we passed through this gateway of light.”
Richard R. saw younger versions of his deceased pets in heaven: “Seeing my family and friends and pets (they were all so healthy and young). I was noticing things about them I had never known before. The fact that it was so beautiful.”
Tina S. learned we return to heaven with our deceased pets: “This life is a school and that when we die we go home. There is a God, heaven and we return to our ancestors and pets.”
Alan McDougall learned we can communicate telepathically with our deceased pets: “It is possible to communicate (telepathy) in this manner with the simple innocent minds of our passed over beloved pets and all creatures big and small.”
b. Encountering Deceased Pet Dogs
NDEs frequently include reunions with beloved deceased pet dogs. For many NDErs, dogs appear as joyful greeters, loving companions, protectors, spirit guides, or even messengers who influence whether the NDEr returns to earthly life. These reunions are often marked by unconditional love and communication through telepathy. The NDEr’s dogs appear healthy, vibrant, and often younger in heaven. They retain recognizable personalities; and they convey a continuity of relationship. Deceased dogs are seen waiting alongside deceased relatives, running freely in meadows of light, or joyfully reuniting with their human companions. Such NDEs show that bonds formed through love do not end with death, and those bonds may transcend species as well as worlds.
Don communicated telepathically with his deceased dogs in heaven: “I heard dogs barking and I could understand what they were saying!… I saw that two of my deceased dogs were part of the group!… My dog turned, looked right at me and barked. And again, I could understand him. In a very scolding tone he said, ‘You’re not supposed to be here!'”
Tim B. was told he had to return to life because of a deceased pet dog: “I heard a voice say, ‘Your kids can’t lose their dog and their Dad in the same week.’ A car on the highway had hit my dog four days earlier.”
Susan’s NDE testimony of seeing deceased pets was sent to Kevin Williams by email in her own words: “I had seen all the pets I had as a child in heaven. Dogs and even parakeets whom I really loved. They had a caretaker – a man who took care of all the animals. So if anyone ever asks me if animals survive death, I have to say, ‘Yes!'”
Grace‘s NDE with her deceased pet dog appears in Dr. Cherie Sutherland‘s book, Within The Light: “I looked down and there was my dog Lucky. He died when I was very young, and he was just there. Of course now if I was to go to the same place, my German shepherd would be there, too. I’m quite looking forward to seeing Razzy again. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
Jacqueline HW communicated with her deceased dog in heaven: “I first saw our dog, Mr. Miyagi, who had passed six months earlier. He had died of old age, but upon that meeting, he was like a lion, in his prime, and sitting in a meadow. He radiated love for me and for our time that had been spent together on this Earth. We didn’t communicate through words; it is just a knowing.”
While many people are greeted by a “Being of Light” during their NDE, Jan Price (died 2011) was greeted by her beloved deceased dog named Maggi. Their new relationship while she was in heaven will astonish you as you learn all about “dog heaven.” Her experience will show you what happens to your beloved pet when they cross over to the Other Side. Jan had a heart attack at home and the paramedics were called. While she was on the gurney, and during the paramedics’ resuscitation procedure, Jan had an NDE. Jan was an internationally known teacher-lecturer, and author of “The Other Side of Death,” a widely acclaimed book about her NDE in 1993 and her remarkable journey beyond the veil. As the density around her lightened, Jan felt herself lifted into another level of awareness. She soon found herself in a more substantial realm, where she was greeted by Maggi, her beloved springer spaniel who had died less than a month earlier. Maggi appeared as she had in life, yet younger and radiant with love. Maggi communicated telepathically that Jan’s husband, John, could not bear losing them both at once. Jan immediately understood and agreed to return to life. When she asked if they would meet again, Maggi conveyed that they would know when the time was right and invited Jan to explore together.
Jan later reflected that some people found it difficult to accept that her first encounter on the Other Side was with her dog. While John found it natural, one of their daughters had hoped she would be greeted by Jesus, an angel, or a family member. Yet Maggi came first, and Jan realized that love welcomes the soul in whatever form is most meaningful. From this, she concluded that animals do possess souls. Jan and Maggi interacted on a finer plane, perceiving one another through mind-formed images as vivid as physical touch. They moved through a realm of living color – fluid energy shaped by thought – and played among hues so beautiful that Jan later found them impossible to describe. Maggi showed Jan her dwelling, formed from memories of the homes she had shared with her family. They arrived instantly. Inside, Jan felt overwhelming joy as she took in the warmth, beauty, and sweeping natural view beyond the glass walls. They sat together, sharing touch, memories, and deep emotion without words. Eventually they moved on, and Maggi took Jan to a lookout where the physical world could be seen below, though Jan chose not to linger. As Jan returned to her body, she passed several beings assisting her transition. Maggi stayed with her until the end, the last image Jan remembered being her dog’s loving face.
The following NDE appears in P.M.H. Atwater’s book, The New Children and NDEs where she reports the account of a child named Lynn, at age thirteen, who had an NDE during which she saw her beloved dogs in heaven. It occurred when Lynn underwent open-heart surgery at age thirteen to correct a condition she had almost since birth: From the light emerged two of Lynn’s beloved dogs. One was Mimi, a collie who had died three years earlier from an infection, and the other was Sam, a boxer who had passed away two years before after being struck by a car. The dogs ran toward her, leaping up and covering her face with affectionate kisses. Their tongues were not wet, and when they jumped on her, she felt no weight at all. Both animals appeared to glow, illuminated by a light that seemed to shine from within them. Lynn was overwhelmed with gratitude and silently thanked God for allowing her dogs to be alive again. She hugged them as tightly as she could, then called to them, and together they began walking toward the light. The light contained all colors and felt warm and alive. As far as she could see, there were people everywhere, all glowing with the same inner radiance as her dogs. In the distance, she could make out fields, rolling hills, and a vast sky. The light then spoke to her, gently telling her that it was not yet her time and that she must return. Lynn reached out and touched the top of the light. In that moment, she knew she had touched the face of God. She expressed her love and told the light that she wanted to stay. Once again, the light told her to go back, explaining that it was not yet her time and that she still had work to do. Before leaving, Lynn asked if she would be allowed to return someday and whether her dogs would still be there waiting for her. The light assured her that they would and then told her that there were people who wished to see her before she departed.
Sharon W. saw her deceased pet bulldog in heaven: “I had no sense of being alive or dead, I just was. And, I was speaking to and seeing my deceased mother, grandmother and loyal, pet bulldog.”
Ray K. embraced his deceased pet dog in heaven: “My pet dog Skippy was there. Skippy had died some years earlier and was the only ‘person’ that I had any real family connection with that was dead. I was overwhelmed with Joy and Love and embraced my dog with my spirit.”
Margo S. saw the soul of her deceased dog in heaven: “During this time, I kept seeing my ‘soul’ dog who had died in 2021. He was truly more of a child to me than a pet and his death was incredibly traumatic.”
Wayne R. saw his deceased grandmother with her deceased pet dog: “There was a Boston terrier dog standing beside her… I didn’t recognize this particular dog… I [later] went through a big box of old family photos and I found the dog with my grandmother. Her name was Trixie and she was our household pet.”
George C. encountered his deceased pets in heaven: “I felt it was all of my family; most that I had never met. They were ready to guide me to the ‘other side’ of the river. There were pets there as well; like the presence of dogs and other creatures.”
Katherine L. was greeted by her deceased childhood pet in heaven: “I do remember a sense of familiarity with the beings who greeted me; one of whom was a dog, my childhood pet.”
Michael S. was greeted by his deceased childhood dog in heaven: “I saw my deceased dog from my childhood bounding towards me. I remember exclaiming her name at the top of my lungs as I saw her bounding towards me. It was overwhelmingly wonderful.”
Despite his former beliefs, Rev. Dr. Robert Joy learned from his NDE that his deceased pet dogs were in heaven: “I saw dogs playing in a grass-covered field and I was with them. I have always loved dogs. I think they were dogs that I once had as an adult or child. I’m a minister and I don’t really believe ‘all dogs go to heaven’ but there they were!”
Johnathon saw his deceased childhood pet dog while in heaven: “I sat down trying to gather my thoughts when I saw my dog Bruce walking over to me. Yes, my old dog who died when I was young. Don’t know how I knew it was him but I just felt in my heart that it was him, the way he used to look.”
Christian D. had a homecoming with his deceased pet dogs in heaven: “In the light was a seemingly uncountable crowd of people who are my ancestors and relatives that have left here over the ages and are now there. I recognized the ones who have been here in my time here and at the front were also my dogs from throughout my time here. I felt absolutely that they were family that I had known forever and were there to bring me home.”
Seth Cowan spoke telepathically with his recently deceased pet dog: “I was surrounded by a beautiful, white light! I was wondering about my beloved dog Blue who had died just 10 days before this event. He spoke to me telepathically and in English. It was very comforting to know he was O.K.”
Aad G. saw his recently deceased pet dog in heaven: “The path before the gate was dim. Once behind the gate there was a fantastic light. The source of this light was not visible. In front of the gate, somewhat on the left from my point of view, there was my dog who recently died on September 10, 2002 due to a heart attack.”
Duane S. saw his deceased childhood pet dog in heaven: “My first encounter in the afterlife was with both my maternal and paternal grandfathers who had been a favorite part of my childhood. With them was my favorite boyhood dog Butch, with his tail wagging it like crazy when he saw me.”
Morgan A. saw his recently deceased pet dog in heaven: “I left my body during this experience, and I found myself with my dog Tramp, who had just passed away a month before.”
Cori R. saw a recently deceased pet dog in heaven: “As I floated down the path, there to the right I saw my dog Molly, who had passed away about seven months before.”
Gulia M. encountered a deceased pet dog in heaven: “There was an extraordinarily beautiful, but not dazzling, light coming through the trees. One of my deceased dogs was walking beside me, peacefully.”
Tilda R. saw her two deceased pet dogs in heaven: “I noticed at the top of the hill that my deceased father was waving to me. I also saw my two deceased dogs running towards me. I started walking quickly towards them. I felt so happy!”
Monika felt responsible for the death of her deceased pet dog she saw in heaven: “A silhouette of a dog who had tragically passed away was constantly following me. I felt constantly responsible for this death to some extent. I had let him go from the leash so that he would follow me but he suddenly ran in the opposite direction. He was hit by a car. Even though his eyes were accusing, at the same time I could feel forgiveness from them.”
Iain T. saw his deceased family dog in heaven: “My grandmother, my great aunt, our first family dog, and a close family friend.”
Andre V. saw a deceased pet dog in heaven: “I saw my Dad about the same time as he saw me. He had died in a car accident in December 1983. My Dad was busy playing with my dog Nicky, who had died in the late 1970s.”
NDE researcher Peter Fenwick’s study included an NDEr who encountered all his deceased dogs during his NDE: “I (Fenwick) was interested to know whether there were any spiders, gnats, snakes – anything that bites. We found nothing; none was reported. And what about other animals? Our respondents did report animals, but only very seldom, and only dogs. One man saw all the dogs of his life come bounding over the hill towards him.”
Angela shared an NDE with her dying dog: “He (veterinarian) left the room and said he would return is a few minutes to give her [dog Roxy] the next shot that would put her to sleep… I felt Roxy’s spirit leave her body and to my surprise I left with her, in no time at all I had traveled so far from where I was standing on Earth and had traveled to another galaxy light years away.”
Abigail K. saw the soul of a deceased dog in heaven that was killed in an accident involving her co-worker: Her NDE began in a white, luminous space where a telepathic voice asked her whether she wanted to go forward or return. Instinctively choosing to go forward, Abigail became aware of a dog standing beside her, with the sense of other dogs nearby. An arch-shaped gate soon appeared, flanked by smaller gates and curved steps. When the question was asked again, Abigail and the dog ran toward a smaller gate, where two other dogs awaited. The iridescent gate could not be seen through, and the dogs communicated telepathically that Abigail must instead enter through the larger gate, reassuring them they could reunite later. Days after her NDE, Abigail learned that a friend had accidentally killed a dog the same night as her NDE. When Abigail described the dog encountered during her NDE, the friend was shocked to realize it perfectly matched the dog she had struck.
NDEr Dakota F. had a precognitive dream about a pet dog dying: “There were strange events that surrounded my grandfather’s death. About two weeks prior, one of his dogs passed away. The night the dog passed away I had a dream where I was in the backyard of my grandparent’s house and the dog was trying to get me to follow it into this mist. As I followed the dog disappeared and then this image appeared in the mist showing my grandfather lying in bed, surrounded by our family. When I woke up I brushed it off as just a weird dream until my mother got a call from my grandma telling her that the very same dog just died that night.”
Tracy M. saw her deceased dog as a puppy in heaven: “A dog’s tail weaved through the tall grass. A beautiful fuzzy puppy wagged her tail at me. At first, I did not recognize her. I had never seen our dog as a puppy. I was so happy to see her. We had to put her down two weeks prior to my daughter’s birth.”
Sharon M. encountered a puppy in heaven: “As I stood there next to the magnificent golden wall, a tiny brown and white beagle puppy wiggled at my feet demanding my attention. As I leaned down to pet him, he barked and wiggled all over with such joy while allowing me to rub his soft little puppy belly.”
Deborah S. saw a dog in heaven: “I came through the tunnel and standing at the edge, I saw a large green meadow and tall grasses and a body of water. On the other side stood a male being in a white gown and a black and white long haired dog.”
Raimondo saw dogs, deer, and butterflies in heaven: “My first glances were amazed by so much beauty and love, surrounded by a wonderful nature with animals of all types dogs, deer, caterpillars… that ran happily and joyfully. I found myself surrounded by butterflies that guided me.”
Jonathan G. saw his deceased pet dogs and cats in heaven: “I then became distracted by figures to my right which were all my former pets (dogs and cats that had died) climbing over each other to get to me, they gave me the impression of me just getting home from a long trip as they seemed very excited to see me.”
c. Encountering Deceased Pet Cats
In many NDEs, deceased pet cats appear just as vividly as other beloved companions. In these testimonies, NDErs describe being reunited with them in the luminous realms of heaven. Such deceased cats are immediately recognizable, sometimes appearing restored, and their behavior reflects the same affectionate traits remembered from physical life.
Victoria H. encountered her deceased pet cat in heaven: “I turned around and was trying to walk toward the outside light, like sunshine coming through trees, but my cat ‘Scarlet’ kept running under my feet and tripping me. It was only a quick flash that doesn’t make much sense, but I had Scarlet for 21 years and she had been passed away for 5 years at the time of my accident.”
Bret B. communicated telepathically with a deceased pet cat in heaven: “I was free from all of the stressors of everyday life. I felt I was going to be with my grandparents and my favorite cat and I could communicate without speaking.”
Kustav K. was reunited with his deceased cat in heaven: “I heard a meow. I looked down, and saw Elmar! Elmar was a white Persian cat… I picked up Elmar… I felt the energy of his love. It was just like old times. I began to cry in feeling of happiness.”
Charmaine M. saw her deceased childhood pets in heaven: “I met more family members who had passed away, and pets from childhood… My pet cat Sammy, who lost his tail when he was young, was there too, and his tail was grown back!”
Yvette P. embraced her recently deceased pet cat in heaven: “I see a black cat running up to me. It’s my Amigo, my black cat who had passed away six months earlier. He runs towards me and leaps into my arms.”
Wan Fu saw a deceased family cat in heaven: “Then I saw my father’s orange cat that he had before he died. He rubbed his head against my body as usual, seeking my soft strokes.”
Angela S. saw cats in heaven: “I saw cats, mountains, trees, rivers, people, stars…, there were so many things just ‘bubbling’ up and together.”
d. Encountering Deceased Horses
NDEs sometimes include encounters with horses who appear as companions, guides, symbols, or inhabitants of the afterlife. These testimonies come from both children and adults and span a wide range of circumstances including a shared NDE when a horse passes. Horses in heaven are often described as radiant, intelligent beings, sometimes familiar and sometimes unlike any known earthly breed, conveying joy through telepathy. Such horses appear in multiple roles: as solitary figures seen in visions of heaven, as mounts ridden by spiritual beings, as beloved companions waiting for reunion, or as powerful symbolic messengers.
John was an eleven-year-old patient of Dr. Melvin Morse who had a deathbed vision where he saw a white horse in heaven. By dawn, it seemed that life was almost over for John. His breathing was labored, and his heart was pounding like that of a marathon runner’s. Even then, little John had more to communicate. Opening his eyes wide, he asked his grieving parents to “let me go.” John said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ve seen God, angels, and shepherds. I see the white horse.” As sick as he was, John still begged his family not to feel sorry for him. He had seen where he was going, and it was a joyous and wondrous place. John lost consciousness and died two days later.
Charles T. says he “saw Jesus riding the prettiest white horse I have ever seen.” Note: In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is seen in heaven riding a white horse (Revelation 19:11-16)
Ray V. saw his deceased grandfather riding a white horse in heaven: “I saw my paternal grandfather in heaven. He was on horseback and saddled another horse. It was a solid white horse, a beautiful beast. Though my grandfather didn’t speak, I knew it was for me.”
Michael M. saw many horses in heaven: “The light was warm and inviting. It felt like warm emotional energy that was vibrating and it filled me completely. I saw many horses in the distance.”
Mike C. saw horse-like animals in heaven which don’t exist on Earth: “I encountered my first born son who had died in infancy. Yet, here, he was an adult. There were some horse-like animals that were marked like yellow and orange zebras.”
Monika encountered horses in heaven which she learned later come from Iceland: “A little ways away from me were three horses who were pasturing. In life, I had never seen horses like these. The size was something between a pony and a race horse, even though by appearance I know horses a bit; however, no such heavenly horses like that had I ever seen. About ten years after this experience, I was in Iceland and I saw something that shocked me because the Icelandic horses were like the heavenly horses in every detail.”
In 1936, NDEr Edgar Cayce experienced a vision in the sky of a chariot drawn by four white horses signifying the approach of World War II: ” In the biography about Cayce by Jess Stern, The Sleeping Prophet, the author describes an incident in June of 1936 when Cayce was in his garden working when he saw a vision in the sky of a chariot drawn by four white horses. He then heard a voice behind him saying, “Look behind you.” When he turned around, he saw a Being of Light wearing shining armor of silver who then raised his hand in salute, and said, “The chariot of the Lord and thy horsemen thereof,” then disappeared. Cayce was shaken by this vision and rushed into the house. He later explained to his family that he had seen the approach of World War II, with millions of people dead. It was an obvious jolt to his conscious mind.
NDEr George Ritchie experienced the miraculous healing of a horse through prayer: In 1972, a miraculous healing occurred when Ritchie asked one of the boys to offer a prayer. Ritchie reminded them of the Bible verse where Christ says, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on Earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:19-20). One of the boys asked God to heal the horse of his friend – referring to a young girl whose horse was dying from an infection so severe the veterinarian advised the family to “put the horse down.” Ritchie then told the girl’s father, who was also attending the meeting, that the Lord had spoken to him while the boy was praying, saying, “If you will give thanks for the horse’s healing now, he will be well in two weeks.” The girl’s father did what Ritchie said; but on the thirteenth night after the meeting, the horse was no better. But on the next morning, sometime during the night, the horse was completely healed. Even the incision was gone. The miraculous healing had occurred just as Ritchie said God promised.
Jennifer K. had a shared NDE with her beloved deceased pet horse: “Kiowa was my first horse… I called my Vet to come out and put her down… As soon as she was down, I threw myself across her body, sobbing. That is when I had a vision as clear as looking at a large movie screen. I saw a green hill with grass and flowers, with the blue sky beyond. Then I saw Kiowa galloping up over the crest of the hill. Her mane was flying and she looked joyful! And I heard in my head these words, ‘I’m FREE! I’m FREE! I’m FREE!’ And then she was gone.
Mary R. saw the souls of horses and dogs waiting for a loved human to die: “Horses and dogs were playing together and when they stopped, they seemed to stare a hole through me and then went back to playing. I was told they were checking to see if I was the person they were waiting for that they had loved while on Earth.”
e. Encountering Deceased Birds
NDErs frequently describe encounters with birds in the afterlife which are strikingly consistent. Their testimonies portray birds as conscious souls whose presence conveys intelligence and the harmony of God. They are seen flying through afterlife realms, perched beside heavenly waters, or gathered among other animal and human souls, all existing in unity. Their birdsongs are often described as more than sound. They are woven into the very atmosphere of heaven, resonating as music and love. What makes these testimonies especially compelling is that they include NDErs who were visually impaired or born blind, yet they report vivid perceptions of birds made of light. Other NDErs describe birds communicating telepathically, welcoming them home, or radiating a profound sense of belonging. Similar imagery appears in after-death communications (ADCs), visionary dreams, and religious texts, suggesting a continuity of consciousness of birds after death.
Seeing Birds in Heaven
Ana Cecilia G. saw various animals in heaven living in harmony including birds and horses: “There were squirrels, rabbits and birds amongst them. All of them were harmonious. I felt peace, fullness, they radiated a love the like of which I had never felt and much less coming from an animal: a fullness that hadn’t lived… There were big animals, horses, giraffes, elephants, lions, and many more… For the first time I saw these wild animals, like inoffensive and friendly beings which before I had never seen.”
Vicki Umipeg, a woman born blind, saw birds in heaven: “Everybody there was made of light. And I was made of light. There was love everywhere. It was like love came from the grass, love came from the birds, love came from the trees.”
Marsha is another vision-impaired NDEr saw birds in heaven: “There [were] white birds and angels and all these people… It was detail. It was white light. Everything was white light in there.”
Fatma A. communicated telepathically with a bird in heaven: “I saw beautiful birds of different sizes, shapes, and colors. As I watched the birds in flight, I saw light sparkling and glittering from their wings. And their bird calls sounded like beautiful melodies!… The bird spoke to me, saying, ‘Peace be upon you.'”
David H. was welcomed to heaven by animals and birds: “Birds of all kinds would fly about the sky. All of Gods creatures came out of the forest as if to greet me. This was the most grand welcome back home.”
Sharon Milliman heard beautiful music and saw birds singing in heaven: “There were birds singing in the trees, and I saw a stream where the water glistened like diamonds in the sun as it flowed over the rocks. I heard music, which was more beautiful than anything I had ever heard before.”
Wooter VA heard the beautiful singing of birds in heaven: “I was in a field where the sky was purple, the birds sang beautiful songs to me, and there were beautiful trees. Along the path, I saw people who had passed over to the other side.”
Doug J. saw a bird that was like a heron in heaven: “It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The lake was pristine and a beautiful color like I have never seen before. The lake was surrounded by a hill side with bulrushes and lily pads close to the edge. There was a bird, that looked like a heron, standing in the rushes.”
Ana Maria saw birds flying beside her in heaven: “I could hear beautiful music and I could see birds flying beside me. It was an incredible peace, something extraordinary. I had never felt this before. It was a beautiful feeling, and I didn’t want to come back.”
Ruben E. saw birds and butterflies in heaven: “I found myself descending towards a very beautiful landscape, with green meadows, rivers, butterflies and birds.”
Gary D. encountered unearthly birds in heaven: “I could see birds flying with three distinctly separated tails not like the birds I had seen here on Earth.”
Steve D. learned that love for everything is all that matters – including love for animals, birds, and insects: “At some point, it was communicated to me that ‘love is all that matters.’ This meant love for all fellow humans, love and respect for the Earth, for the birds, animals, and even insects. All things are from our Creator and we are all, everything connected at every level.”
Gabriel saw bird-like beings of light singing beautiful music: “I was brought into the light world with these bird-like beings of light that sang out in beautiful music. That’s what they sounded like when they communicated like birds.”
In the Christian Gnostic text, the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus affirmed animals including birds reside in heaven: “If those who lead you say to you, ‘Look, the kingdom is in the sky!’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fishes will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not come to know yourselves, then you exist in poverty, and you are poverty.” (Gospel of Thomas, saying 3)
Janet is a nurse in North Dakota had a dream ADC involving a paradise with birds. She became a bereaved mother when her 4 year old son, Toby, died of a brain hemorrhage: “This occurred approximately one year after my son died. I recall the dream as if I had just had it last night. I was standing on a river bank and looking over at Toby on the other side. His side was a lush green with beautiful trees. The water was a beautiful blue, and there were birds I could hear. It was a paradise, like the Garden of Eden. Everything was so quiet and peaceful.” When Janet tried crossing the river, Toby told her, “No, Mom, you can’t come over here. I’m okay. I’m fine. But you can’t come over here.” Janet states, “Toby was calming me like an adult would. I almost felt like a child in comparison, as if an older, wiser person was talking to me. He was telling me to settle down and realize that his life is good now. He gave me the sense that he is at peace and that he’s where he belongs. The dream seemed so real, as real as life itself. When I woke up, I felt crushed that the dream was over. And yet I felt so comforted by it.
Bill and Judy Guggenheim discovered that after-death communications (ADCs) frequently involve the synchronicity of encountering butterflies, birds, and animals: “People frequently ask God or their loved one for a sign they still exist. Many report receiving such a sign, though it may take some time to arrive. Occasionally these signs are so subtle they may be overlooked, or they may be discounted as a mere coincidence. Common signs include: butterflies, rainbows, many species of birds and animals, flowers, and a variety of inanimate objects such as coins and pictures.”
Edgar Cayce revealed that dream symbolism, such as seeing a bird, has a higher dream interpretation: Dreams symbols, such as a house, a bird, or a friend, always represent much more than that which first meets the eye. This is why the beginner can benefit from help received from those who have made a serious study of dreams. Carl Jung voiced much the same thought when he said that, if one understands symbols, one can understand the dream as much by empathy as by formal analysis.
Hearing Birds in Heaven
Elane Durham heard birds twittering in heaven during her NDE: “There was sound in the air that completely defies description. It was as if there were a multitude of voices, and a multitude of instruments, blended and playing soft music. The twittering of birds, and other beautiful sounds, were all melodically instrumented into the music which wafted through the air. The sounds just flowed into me in a soft, soft manner.”
Kit S. heard beautiful music and birds singing in heaven: “I heard beautiful music. I heard birds at first, and then what sounded like a chorus. It was definitely music.”
Lariza GWT heard the lovely song of birds in heaven: “Arriving at the light, I saw the most beautiful garden that anyone could ever imagine. It had many flowers of bright colors. A stream flowed through the garden. I heard the water and the sound of many birds singing the loveliest song, which can be experienced.”
Jene B. heard birds singing beautifully in heaven: “The singing of the birds was like nothing I had ever heard before. All of it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life.”
William Si heard birds singing beautiful music in heaven: “I did hear birds singing as well as everything around me. Yet it wasn’t sounds that were unknown as they are here. Everything resonated with the energy of our Heavenly Father. No music on this Earth comes close.”
Heather V. “felt” the music of animals and birds in heaven: “There seemed to be a music that each living thing possessed. I could actually feel, not just hear, the trees, animals, birds, grasses and skies in this other REALITY.”
Scott W. heard otherworldly music like the sound of birds: “The vibration was gentle but always present. At times, it would sound like voices, instruments, and oddly like birds and other sounds I couldn’t identify. I remember having a thought, ‘I can see why people think they hear angels singing.’ It kept shifting between all things and it was beyond what I could comprehend as music.”
Debra B. heard the peaceful singing of birds in heaven: “I could hear the birds singing but it seemed different: more peaceful.”
NDE researcher Peter Fenwick’s study included NDErs who heard birds singing in heaven: “I (Fenwick) was also particularly interested in the heavenly music and wonderful birdsong reported by some of our participants, because of my interest in how the brain works with music.”
Cristine H. heard the harmony of insects and birds in heaven: “Distant and close sounds of insects and birds seemed clearer and harmonious. I felt incredible and energetic.”
Sharon M. heard birds singing praises to God: “I noticed that the colors were so bright and vibrant, and the air was sweet and clear. I could hear birds singing… Everything and everyone in heaven was singing praises to God. It just poured out of every leaf, rock, blade of grass, and every bird.”
Lorraine Tutmarc encountered birds singing in heaven: “From behind the wall I heard much activity. Everything was alive behind that wall. It seemed like the dawn of a new day; day was just breaking! It was a beautiful experience. I heard little birds singing, tiny birds, and they got louder and louder. People have said there are no birds in heaven, but I heard them.”
Jeffer S. heard birds chirping in heaven: “I found a man dressed in white. Birds were chirping. I saw a great big waterfall before entering back into my body.”
Jenny C. heard birds chirping and saw a rabbit in heaven: “A butterfly flew across my path and lit on the flowers. I heard birds chirping and a bunny hopped across. I wandered happily along, loving each new sight, until I saw an old man in a pure white long robe.”
Marilyn R. encountered birds, butterflies, and lambs in heaven: “I could hear birds singing and there were butterflies flying. I could see little children playing and chasing little lambs, and I could hear their laughter.”
Ronald A. heard birds singing in trees in heaven: “Then I was walking down a dirt path toward a bright light. There were very tall green trees lining the path. It felt so warm and there was such a good feeling all around me. I could hear birds in the trees singing.”
Wayne W. heard birds singing in the sky of heaven: “I looked up and saw that I was no longer in the room I had been in. I was outside in a beautiful setting; rolling hills, trees, birds singing in the sky.”
Florene W. heard the sound of birds in heaven: “Everything around me was so full of color. I do not remember any sound except the birds and the sound of the water.”
Vadra P. heard birds in heaven: “[I heard] children laughing and playing, the sounds of the trees softly, birds.”
5. NDEs Involving Deceased Animals
NDEs frequently portray the afterlife as a realm filled with beautiful landscapes and communities inhabited by the souls of both humans and animals. They describe such animal souls as existing alongside humans in environments marked by beauty and meaning.
P.M.H. Atwater describes NDEs involving animals: “The universal elements now identified as central to an NDE can and often do appear in both types (heavenly and hellish NDEs) and in the same basic sequence pattern… suddenly finding one’s self in another realm of existence usually replete with people, landscapes, and occasionally animals.”
Dr. Dianne Morrissey learned that every animal has a purpose and life after death: “The Light conveyed the message that each gain of sand, each plant, rock, animal, and human being has a purpose and that nothing ever dies because after death, there is a new life on the Other Side.”
Dr. Harold Widdison and Dr. Craig Lundahl devoted decades to researching Mormon NDE testimonies and comparing them with broader NDE literature. Their landmark work, The Eternal Journey, remains one of the most comprehensive examinations of how Mormon theology and NDE testimony illuminate each other. One Mormon NDEr, Herr Pettersson learned that the spirit realm includes the spirits of animals. Widdison and Lundahl states: “To Herr Pettersson the world of spirits resembled the material world. There were many countries, or ‘Kingdoms.’ There were cities and villages, temples and palaces, flowers and animals of great beauty and variety.”
Emanuel Swedenborg learned from his OBE afterlife sojourns that animals have a place in the afterlife: “Animals have dwelling places in the spiritual world.”
Sandra E. was eleven years old when her NDE revealed various animals in heaven: “Around the stream were animals drinking water. I remember a deer and a squirrel on the other side of the stream and a rabbit on my side… The animals that came to me without fear of me or of each other. I was completely at peace with an inner joy that I could feel inside my soul.”
JR M. saw the souls of animals while in heaven: “The realization I received was combined with sudden awareness of every living soul around me, beginning at my immediate center and flowing outward/inward. I was part of a larger picture… I also noted animals and other souls around me.”
Laurie L. saw the spirits of animals in heaven: “I could feel the spirit of all things living around me: animals, plants, the elements. I was one with them.”
Diane G. encountered animals in heaven: “Suddenly, we burst into the light and a whole new reality was revealed to me, similar to the physical world, but, in this higher vibration, more colorful, more beautiful, more amazing. I saw plants, trees, mountains, lakes, animals, and shimmering crystal-like buildings, some very large and ornate.”
Nathan L. saw animals in heaven: “There were flowing grains of grass and blue sky with bright white clouds, sunflowers and animals in the background.”
Sharron T. saw animals as far as she could see in heaven: “It was so beautiful and calming that I knew I wanted to be here forever. There were people and animals as far as I could see… Everything was so beautiful: the colors were so much more, the people and animals; my awareness of knowing every person and animal and that we ARE all one.”
Riley H. encountered animals living in harmony in heaven: “One of the most moving things I saw was how everything in Heaven lives in full harmony and purpose. Animals, flowers, colors, even the air – it all worships. Everything is alive with meaning, and everything is for God. The animals weren’t just present they were worshiping. In equal harmony with people and nature.”
Lisa F. saw people with animals in heaven: “I saw many people walking on the seashore in white robes. Some were walking alone, some with a companion, some in groups, some with animals.”
Eric R. saw wild animals in heaven: “I arrived in a beautiful place and I had a feeling of indescribable bliss. There were animals (wild ones too) and people who had been dead for a while.”
Steve P. saw people strolling with animals in heaven: “While I was still elevated above the [City of Light], I looked outside the awe-inspiring walls and saw miles and miles of fields littered with what I can only describe as flowers. They were much more beautiful than the flowers we have here on Earth. People and animals alike were strolling together and enjoying the beauty of it all.”
Denise M. saw birds and animals in heaven: “I saw the Celestial City. I was taken to a field at the end of my NDE with waterfalls, flowers, birds and many other animals.”
Cynthia H. learned from the Being of Light that she doesn’t have to fear the animals in heaven: “We were walking in a beautiful mountain with so many gorgeous flowers, plants and animals. He (Being of Light) told me that I didn’t have to be afraid of the animals because He had made them as well as me.”
Richard S. saw animals in an unearthly realm: “[I saw a] clearly mystical or unearthly realm. Green valley with eagles, deer, animals everywhere, blue, blue sky, crystal clear cool water.”
Raimondo saw various animals and insects in heaven: “I was immersed in the light. My first sights were filled with wonder at so much beauty and love. I found myself surrounded by a breathtaking nature with animals of all kinds – dogs, deer, caterpillars – joyfully running about.”
When Black Elk (1863–1950), the Oglala Lakota holy man, fell gravely ill at the age of nine, he had an NDE – known as “the Great Vision” – animals played a central and sacred role. They were not merely symbolic creatures, but living spiritual presences that conveyed power, guidance, and responsibility. In Lakota spirituality, animals are relatives (“all are related”), and Black Elk’s encounter with them reflects this worldview. The buffalo appeared as a central and recurring presence in Black Elk’s NDE. For the Lakota, the buffalo represents life itself – food, clothing, shelter, and spiritual sustenance.
In Black Elk‘s NDE, eagles appeared as messengers of the Great Spirit, moving between the earthly and spiritual realms. With their ability to soar high above the world, they symbolized vision, clarity, and divine perspective. The eagle’s presence signified Black Elk’s calling to see beyond ordinary reality and to serve as a spiritual intermediary for his people. Horses were associated with power, movement, and sacred energy. In Black Elk’s NDE, horses carried spiritual forces and were often linked to the directions and elemental powers. Horses represented the dynamic life force that moves through creation and through human destiny. While buffalos, eagles, and horses were most prominent, Black Elk’s NDE also conveyed the sense of many animal nations participating in the sacred order. These beings were not subordinate to humans but equal participants in the cosmic design, each holding unique medicine (spiritual power) and wisdom. Importantly, Black Elk did not describe these animals as metaphors in a modern psychological sense. They were experienced as conscious, intentional beings – teachers and guardians within the spiritual world. They communicated through presence rather than speech, imparting understanding directly to the soul. This aligns closely with many NDE testimonies in which knowledge is transmitted instantly and nonverbally. Numerous neighing, dancing horses, surrounded by lightning and thunder, filled the sky at each direction. Then he heard a great Voice say: “Behold the circle of the nation’s hoop, for it is holy, being endless, and thus all powers shall be one power in the people without end.” Then Black Elk, standing on the highest mountain, surveying the grand vista of the hoop of the world, said: “I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.”
Dr. Maurice Rawlings mentions hellish NDEs involving grotesque animal souls: In his book Beyond Death’s Door (1978), Rawlings recounted story after story of NDErs describing unpleasant or threatening scenarios of being surrounded by grotesque human and animal forms.”
Luis S. saw animals in the human-body shaped “Kingdom of God“: “Jesus told me: ‘Now you will see the kingdom of God, where you will be received after your mortal life.’ I was taken out of that infinite light and, surrounded again by a void of blackness, I saw an immense human body, with no specific gender, or better said, with both genders simultaneously. This human being was bigger than the whole solar system. It was standing still, but it had a very vibrant life within it. There were billions of people working and living there. This human was the shape of the kingdom of God. It was full of roads, parks, very sophisticated buildings and full of people and animals living there with an enormous joy. Each living being was like a cell of the body of this huge human shaped body.”
6. Animals and Humans Are Connected Together
NDEs often describe the afterlife as one of profound unity. In these testimonies, the boundaries that seem to divide humans from animals dissolve into a single, living continuum. NDErs frequently report perceiving all forms of life – people, animals, plants, and even the elements themselves – as intimately linked through a web of light that is consciousness itself (God and love). This interconnectedness is felt directly, as an overwhelming sense of oneness in which everything shares the same source and essence. The following NDE testimonies explore this recurring theme of unity, revealing visions of humans and animals bound together in heaven, sharing awareness and purpose.
Dan Ta saw all of creation on Earth connected to the Being of Light: “I saw all of Creation as in a Crystal Ball, floating in this grayness. Wrapped around Creation was a Being of stunning majesty… I saw that every living thing in Creation was an expression of this Being, connected to this Being, indivisible and of One. Every person, plant, animal, insect, microbe, drew its’ very existence from this Being.”
Josiane Antonette learned from her NDE that humans and animals on Earth are spiritually connected in the afterlife: “I perceive how the Earth, the sun, the moon, the darkness, the light, the planets, and all forms of life – plants, rocks, animals, people – are interconnected; they come from the same source of light. Everything is united by a transparent net, or web, and each thread shines with great radiance. Everything pulses with the same luminosity – a magnificent light of unparalleled brilliance. ‘From the light we have come, and to the light we all shall return,’ continues the voice.”
Josh W. learned that all life on Earth is connected as one: “We are all connected as one; plants, animals, and humans alike.”
Kate D. learned we are all connected including with animals: “We are all connected that is why it is such a terrible thing to hurt another living thing (animals included).”
Val C. learned that humans are connected to everything including animals: “I was filled with all the knowledge that existed and knew everything there was to know. I was so loved! I realized that we are all connected to everything, even to trees and rocks and animals.”
Martin W. permitted to see how humans are connected to everything including animals: “I was permitted to see how all energy bodies from people, animals, plants and how energies from solid matter, Mother-Earth and the universe were bound together with beams of light.”
Chamisa H. “felt” the process of humans connected to everything including animals: “I was washed with a flood of love and forgiveness for everyone and everything. I even loved the Earth and all its beauty and the animals on the Earth and ‘felt’ the spiritual process we are all in, and how we are literally tied together as brothers and sisters needing to be unified in love and care.”
Johnny F. learned that humans are connected to everything including animals: “I now know that everything is connected. Everything is equally important; universe, animals, people, plants, suns, planets… Everything is love, to love myself as I am loved, to love other animals, people, plants.”
Deborah K. learned that humans, animals, and everything is all connected: “We’re all connected; we’re all from the same Source. Thus, we should all have compassion for one another. And this does not just mean people, but also animals, plants, all of nature. The most important aspects of this realm of existence are relationships and experiences and we’d best conduct them in the most loving and compassionate way possible.”
Laurie L. became “one” with the animals and plants in heaven: “I could feel the spirit of all things living around me: animals, plants, the elements. I was one with them.”
Karen became “one” with the birds and surroundings in heaven: “To my left was a body of water with trees, and there were many birds. Everything seemed very in focus and clear. I felt an attachment to all of it, like ‘oneness’ with my surroundings.”
Robin L. learned everything is linked like a million swallows flying as one bird: “I see millions of points of light connected by beautiful living lines… I see all of life is gracefully linked together like a million swallows flying as one great bird.”
Duane experienced what it felt like to be a bird during his NDE: “Duane focused his attention on the joyous singing bird, the bird came into full view even though there were trees in the way that would normally have blocked his view. It was as if he, or part of him, was suddenly there with the bird… He could feel the birds’ joy as it sang and sensed what it was like to be the bird.”
David Bohm (1917-1992) was one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century. His theory, ultimately known as the Holographic Principle, describes the universe to be a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram. A holographic universe explains the supersymmetry found in the universe and suggests how, at the quantum level, everything – atoms, cells, molecules, plants, animals, and people participate in a connected flowing web of information.
7. Animals and Humans in the NDE Tunnel
The NDE tunnel is a portal into afterlife realms which NDErs describe traveling through alongside the souls of both humans and animals. Animals appear as beings of light flying through the same tunnel as people. The following NDE testimonies portray the tunnel as a realm where all living beings participate together as they pass from physical life toward the greater light of heaven.
Dr. Melvin Morse’s child NDEr experienced both an animal tunnel and a human tunnel: “I saw two tunnels in front of me, a human tunnel and an animal tunnel. First I went in the animal tunnel, and a bee gave me honey. Then I saw the human heaven.”
Edgar Cayce would hear birds singing in the tunnel during his NDE-like OBEs: “As I pass on, there is more light and movement in what appear to be normal cities and towns. With the growth of movement I become conscious of sounds, at first indistinct rumblings, then music, laughter, and singing of birds. There is more and more light, the colors become very beautiful, and there is the sound of wonderful music. The houses are left behind; ahead there is only a blending of sound and color.”
Sharon Wood learned in her NDE that animals also travel through the tunnel: “In the tunnel connecting this world with the next, humans as well as animals travel through the tunnel.”
Mary R. saw horses and dogs playing inside the tunnel: “[In the tunnel] horses and dogs were playing and running in circles playing chase with one another. I also realized some of these animals had been horribly mistreated and some weren’t.”
Joop heard beautiful music from birds while in the tunnel: “I was sucked into a tunnel where I floated, there were lots of animals (like birds) around me that made the most wonderful music, it was as if I was being welcomed.”
Debra B. saw a bird made of light fly through the tunnel: “A bird made of pure light flew through the tunnel and out through the opening into the light.”
8. Animals and Humans During the NDE Life Review
NDE testimonies frequently describe the life review as a comprehensive and deeply immersive re-experiencing of one’s earthly existence through the lived awareness of others affected by one’s actions. Within these reviews, many NDErs report that this expanded consciousness includes encounters with the souls of animals as well as humans. Actions toward animals, plants, and even the smallest forms of life are often relived with heightened empathy, allowing the NDEr to feel the joy, fear, suffering, or relief experienced by those animals. These testimonies show that the life review is reveals an interconnected web of consciousness in which compassion toward all living beings carry enduring significance.
Berkley Carter Mills learned in his life review that animals have souls including insects and plants: Mills relived each incident in his life, including killing a mother bird when he was eight. He was so proud of that single shot until he felt the pain the bird’s three babies went through when they starved to death without her. He states, “It’s not true that only humans have souls. Insects, animals, plants have souls, too. Yes, I still eat meat, for in this realm species eat each other to survive, but I bless my food and say thanks for the gift life gives. If I don’t the food sours in my stomach.”
Scot W. learned the life review includes experiencing the death of animals that the NDEr killed: “If we killed many animals, even for survival, we will experience every one of those deaths. Our conduct during those events will directly affect how much pain we experience… We are within the mind of the Creator and what we do to His creations: we do to Him/It/She as well.”
According to P.M.H. Atwater‘s NDE research, children sometimes experience a life review in NDEs involving animals as judges: “Children who have an NDE are often met by a being who judges their progress concerning their mission. If a tribunal is present, it is not unusual for the judges to be animals rather than people.”
During Glenda G.‘s life review, she stood on a platform leading to deceased loved humans and animals: “But there were three steps that led up to a platform of sorts, and there was a door across from the steps. I instinctively knew that every person and every animal I have ever loved in my life was alive and well beyond that door.”
Ashli learned in her life review that love includes empathy for animals and flowers: “Love is not just a good feeling. Love encompasses so many things, including choices to not be selfish and to think of the other peoples’ needs and feelings. Love is also empathy for other humans, animals, and even how you treat a flower. Everything has a ripple effect.”
P.M.H. Atwater described how the life review includes the NDEr’s effect upon animals: The life review includes reliving “the effect of every thought, word and deed upon the weather, the air, the soil, plants and animals, the waters, everything else within the creation we call Earth.”
Jeanie Dicus could hear the thoughts of animals she encountered during her life review: “On each screen was a home movie of one event in my life. The good, the bad, the secret, the ugly, the special… Not only words, but your thoughts, your feelings, everything; and when you looked at the other people or animals, you could hear their thoughts, their feelings, too.”
Thomas Sawyer experienced his effect on animals during his life review: “You do have that effect on plants. You do have an effect on animals. You do have an effect on the universe. And in your life review you’ll be the universe and experience yourself in what you call your lifetime and how it affects the universe.”
Justin U. experienced a life review where he experienced the lives of animals in his life: “Many events in my life I experienced, but not from how I remembered it, but from the point of view, I experienced it from how the people, animals, environment experienced it around me. I felt it as my own… I felt it all as they did. It was very apparent that every single thought word and action affects everything around the entire universe, and indeed us including trees, plants, and animals too.”
Galadriel K.‘s life review revealed how she made animals and bugs feel: “I also felt the way that I had made animals or bugs feel. This, later on after my NDE, would lead me to have trouble dealing with bugs because I didn’t want to hurt them but I didn’t want them near me.”
Benny G. had a life review where he was shown a scene where he turned away a hungry cat: “I began to see things from my past. I didn’t have the ‘my life flashed before my eyes’ syndrome, it was specific things in my past, some seemed trivial and some were serious. Several years ago, a hungry cat came to my front porch meowing for food and I made it leave. Things like that.”
James G. learned acts of kindness toward animals is significant: “After further review of my life, I realized that I did do some altruistic acts toward other human beings, animals and plants. These acts were significant and meaningful… Kindness that I showed toward people I cared about, toward animals in need or distress, toward helping the plants and oceans of Earth; these things mattered.”
Ben B. was shown his life review involving forgiveness for killing animals: “I asked this being if he forgives me for my horrific torture and killing of animals. It paused and told me. ‘My children who are weak, and suffering from another man’s hands is to be loved regardless, and as long as you work on yourself I will always be there for you.’ ‘Do you forgive me?’ I asked. Then with a booming voice that shook my body, and felt like the whole universe itself being told very deeply and slowly ‘only if you move on and forgive yourself.'”
During the life review of Suwannathat, a Thailand Buddhist, encountered birds he killed in life: “I climbed these stairs and found myself in the judgment hall of Yama’s palace. I knew that they were ready to judge me for my sins. A giant rooster appeared who told Yama that I had killed him. He emphasized that I had tried to kill him again and again. The rooster said that he remembered me exactly. An entire flock of roosters also appeared and testified that I had killed them, as well. I remembered my actions, and I had to admit that the roosters had told the truth. Yama said that I had committed many sins, and sentenced me to many rebirths, both as a chicken and many other kinds of birds. After these births, I would then be reborn as an angelic being (Thevada) due to my having performed meritorious actions many times.”
9. Animal and Human Evolution and Reincarnation
NDEs show that consciousness is not limited to a single species, body, or lifetime. These testimonies show that consciousness precedes physical form and participates in a long process of evolution and reincarnation through plants, animals, and human beings. They portray evolution and reincarnation as a journey in which consciousness refines itself through experience, learning, and spiritual development. Within these NDEs, humans are shown to contain both an inherited animal nature and a higher spiritual identity, often felt as an inner struggle. Some NDErs report inhabiting non-human forms, reliving stages of earthly evolution, or experiencing themselves as multiple life forms simultaneously. Other NDErs describe human souls participating in the formation of Earth and the ongoing cycle of life and death.
a. Animal and Human Evolution
Edgar Cayce revealed human origins of how souls from heaven began incarnating into “ape-men” affirming Darwin’s theory of evolution: The human race originated on Earth when souls, longing to feel the beauty of the seas, the winds, the forest, the flowers, mixed with them and expressed themselves through them. Souls then mingled with and possessed the bodies of a particular species of ape-man. This eventually resulted in souls becoming entangled in flesh; thus, the human race was born.
Howard Storm learned that humans have a conflicting basic animal nature: “Humans are educated at a higher level by spirit beings who bring us into heaven. We grow and increase, and grow and increase, and shed the concerns, desires, and base animal stuff that we have been fighting much of our life.”
Edgar Cayce revealed that the Book of Revelation‘s description of the “war in heaven” between God and “the devil” is the symbolic religious description of the real spiritual struggle within all humans between their lower “animal” nature (the “beast“) and their higher spirit nature. Our Higher Self – our spirit – is one with the “Universal Consciousness” which people think of as “God.” Cayce also identified the “four beasts” in the Book of Revelation as being human physical desires of the four lower spiritual centers: (1) self-preservation, (2) sustenance, (3) propagation of species, and (4) self-gratification. The “prostitute” riding “a beast” symbolizes humanity’s lust for riches and gratification of the flesh. The “lamb” represents “Christ consciousness.” The “four horses of the Apocalypse” represent four destructive emotions of pride, hatred, fear, and “spiritual death.” The “dragon” represents “that through which man’s rebellious forces against God arise.” The “mark of the beast” is “the unevolved animalistic influence within humans.” The “mark of the lamb” is the “evolved divine force within humans, Christ Consciousness.”
Kabbalah (literally “receiving” in Hebrew) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of Jewish thought teaching reincarnation (gilgul) and that humans have a lower “animal” nature. Its definition varied according to the tradition from its religious origin as an integral part of Judaism, to its later Christian, New Age, and occult adaptions. The Kabbalah describes the human being as having three elements: (1) The nephesh: the lower “animal” part of the person which is linked to instincts and bodily cravings. The nephesh is found in all humans, entering the physical body at birth. It is the source of one’s physical and psychological nature. (2) The ruach: the middle soul (or the “spirit”) which contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. (3) The neshama: the higher soul or super-soul which separates man from all other life-forms.
Chantal L. encountered the Being of Light as her Higher Self who had a past life as a flower, an animal, and an insect: As the radiant Being approached, Chantal felt like she was emerging from amnesia and remembering her true, timeless identity: an ancient, ever-existing self filled with wisdom and compassion. This self had directly experienced life in all forms – even as a flower, animal, or insect – and held within it the complete knowledge of the universe.
Randy Gehling learned that merging with the light can make you feel like many identities including animals: “When merging with the light during an NDE, it feels like your body explodes in a pleasant way into millions of different atoms that can think its own thoughts and have its own feelings. All at once you feel like a boy, a girl, a dog, a cat, a fish, then an old man, an old woman, and then a little tiny baby.”
During his NDE, Angelo G. became all animals becoming more evolved: “Then I started to feel like a small animal with paws and caught the occasional weak glow of light but still felt constantly afraid of being eaten and still searching inwardly for that something that could save me. I was moving, little by little, I was all animals (fish, reptiles, birds, mammals) becoming more and more evolved.”
Monty had a life review involving the evolution of humanity: “It (life review) all started with fishy things that I was among. Then I progressed to higher levels of animal life. Next, I went through swinging freely with great grace through trees, etc. I went through the whole evolutionary spectrum leading up to man; all in a microsecond, then an overview rerun of my life up until that very moment.”
Sonia S. learned she had past lives as animals: “I started seeing different lives: I saw my animal lives, my life as a speck, my life where I was condemned as a witch, my life where I was an unknown creature in the ocean, and so many more lives.”
David Oakford saw the souls of animals and humans coming to Earth from the City of Light: “I saw spirits going to and from Earth and the city [of light]. I could tell the development of the spirits going to and from by the energy they emanated. I could see that animals came to and from Earth just like humans do.”
Betty Eadie learned in her NDE that all human spirits pre-existed and participated in the creation of Earth with God. Each spirit who was to come to Earth assisted in planning the conditions on Earth, including the development of plants and animal life that would be here. Everything was created of spirit matter before it was created physically.
The creation narrative of indigenous Australians held that, before humans, animals, and plants came into being, their “souls” existed; they knew they would become physical, but not when. And when that time came, all but one of the souls became plants or animals, with the last one becoming human and acting as a custodian or guardian to the natural world around them. These indigenous Australian societies share the notion that human beings and society were created in a distant time period referred to as the Dreamtime which the Aborigines considered sacred time. Simultaneously, the Dreamtime refers to the realm of the spiritual, which is coextensive with the time of creation. As the name indicates, the Dreamtime realm can be reached during dreams. Many of the rituals of Aboriginal religion also link the everyday world of human existence with the Dreamtime. As one might anticipate, at death the true soul returns to the eternal Dreamtime realm, where it had resided prior to birth.
One materialistic scientific theory of NDEs involves Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. It posits that NDEs are a deliberate ploy of the human race to help those behind adapt better to the inevitable ending of their lives. Charles Darwin‘s simple theory of the survival of the fittest holds that every species is struggling to increase its hold on this planet and guarantee the survival of its descendants. That is our greatest primary urge. Other animals help their peers to survive: the dying elephant, for example, trails away into the bush so that he does not slow down the herd. Are the dying just “helping the herd” by putting out propaganda that death does not contain a sting? But this theory does not explain why NDEs are erratic, or why we shunted down an evolutionary sidetrack for years by making them something that people were reluctant to talk about. After all, in Darwinian terms, humans are the most highly evolved intellectual life forms on Earth.
b. Animal and Human Reincarnation
NDEs and spiritual traditions have described a universe in which consciousness is not confined to a single lifetime, species, or form. Within these testimonies, reincarnation is portrayed as a return to life on Earth in a morally structured process involving spiritual learning. Human actions are sometimes shown to shape the conditions of future existence, blurring the boundaries between human, animal, and even plant life. The following testimonies explore insights and religious teachings suggesting that reincarnation can occur across species lines and that souls may consciously choose their next form of embodiment.
Arthur Yensen learned that abusing animals can lead to a reincarnation where the person is abused: “Those who abuse animals are likely to reincarnate into a situation where they are abused to make them realize the misery they caused them.”
Bill V. learned that animals and plants participate in reincarnation: “The energy there was not only ‘human’ in nature, all of the life here on Earth was there that had been past and present, which to me, explained the concepts of human reproduction and the feelings that some people get about reincarnation. This was, to me, the essence of human, animal, and even plant life.”
Marta M. learned from her NDE that her cat reincarnated: “My cat (I rescue many adult, elderly animals) reincarnated and is here now. She came in spirit.”
NDEr Samantha H. had a dream of a deceased dog that reincarnated as new pet puppy: “I can sense dogs that have passed away, coming back in dreams before we’ve gotten a new puppy and I feel they’ve become a part of this new pup or found me again by being this pup. I know this sounds nuts.”
Arthur Yensen learned that “higher animals” that know right from wrong inhabit heaven: “How are we saved? By unselfish love. When we love unselfishly, our vibrations are so high that the only place we’ll fit into is heaven. There is no other place we can go if we want to. This is divine justice because it gives all the people who ever lived, as well as all the higher animals who know right from wrong, an equal chance to eventually attain internal harmony which will fit them into some kind of heaven – regardless of their intelligence, education, indoctrination, ignorance, wealth or poverty.”
The Greek philosopher Plato described an NDE by a soldier named Er where he learned that some animals choose to reincarnate as humans while some humans choose to reincarnate as animals. At the end of Plato’s famous work The Republic, he describes what is known as the “Myth of Er” – one of the earliest recorded depictions of an NDE. The term “myth” in this context does not imply that the story is false or purely fictional, but rather that it is a narrative crafted to convey deeper truths. In the Myth of Er, Plato presents the story of Er, a soldier who dies in battle but miraculously revives twelve days later to recount his journey to the afterlife. The myth portrays Er’s vivid encounter with otherworldly realms, where he witnesses the fate of souls, the cycles of reincarnation, and the ultimate rewards and punishments of just and unjust lives.
During Er’s NDE, he learned that many souls preferred a life different from their previous experience. Animals chose human lives while humans often chose the apparently easier lives of animals. One of the “Fates” casts before the crowd to be reincarnated a number of earthly destinies from which they may choose to be, for example, a tyrant, an animal, an artist, or, as Odysseus carefully chose, an ordinary citizen who minds his own business. Then, just before returning to Earth as a shooting star, each soul is required to drink from the River of Forgetfulness, so that all these cosmic events will fade from memory. Only Er was not allowed to drink and forget. Thus in the Myth of Er, when all men choose another life, the true characters of the falsely-pious and those whose are indecent in some way are revealed when they choose the lives of tyrants. Those who lived happy but average lives in their previous life are most likely to choose the same for their future life, not necessarily because they are wise, but out of habit. Those who were treated with infinite injustice, despairing of the possibility of a good human life, choose the souls of animals for their future incarnation.
Origen of Alexandria (183-253) is considered to be an early Christian Church Father. Origen and early Christian Gnostics believed in a higher form of “metempsychosis“, a form of reincarnation which rejected the possibility of humans reincarnating as animals (i.e., transmigration.) It is this confusion that anti-reincarnationalists have today which leads them to falsely conclude that Origen’s theology did not include reincarnation. Origen’s writings show that the controversy was not about reincarnation but about Plato’s doctrine of transmigration. According to Origen, Basilides (117-138 AD), an early Christian Gnostic religious teacher, held a doctrine of reincarnation that was identical to the Pythagorean belief that human souls may take on the bodies of animals in future lives. (Basilides, “Fragment F,” in Layton, Gnostic Scriptures, p. 439.)
A Thailand Buddhist text describes people choosing to reincarnate as any type of animal desired. NDE researcher Todd Murphy states that the “Phra Malaya” is the only important source of Thailand ideas and expectations about death and dying. The Phra Malaya recounts the visions of heaven and hell experienced by a medieval monk (Phra Malaya) during his meditation. The text mentioned that a person could be reincarnated as a human with any social status and any degree of attractiveness, as any type of animal, into any one of fourteen hells, or into any one of nine heavens. The monk encountered Yama, the Lord of the Underworld, whom the monk saw judging both humans and animals. Todd Murphy also describes a Thai NDEr who tortured animals in a past life learning that is the reason he had a past life as an animal: “The Yamatoot … revealed that he himself had both merit and sins, so that he had to spend some of his days as an animal, and some as an angel. During his life, he had earned his money by torturing both men and animals. He promoted bullfights, cockfights, and boxing matches. Then, he said, he took the money, and used it to make donations, so that he could create merit. This merit helped him to become an angel, while the sins committed by encouraging these fights helped him to be an animal (Suwannathat, n.d., Vol. 7, from chapter on pp. 103-114).”
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol) describes how people might reincarnate as an animal: After death, the “Knowledge-Holding Deities” appear as the next stage of the second “bardo.” If, because of ignorance, the soul cannot face the Knowledge-Holding Deities, he is drawn toward one of the six afterlife realms – the Brute-Loka – that is, he will be reborn on Earth as an animal.
10. Birds of a Feather Flock Together
NDEs reveal the afterlife is shaped by the NDEr’s inner states of consciousness. Souls naturally gravitate toward others sharing similar qualities of thought, emotion, and spiritual “vibration.” Much like the familiar saying, “birds of a feather flock together,” these testimonies suggest that love and harmony act as organizing principles after death. NDErs find themselves among companions whose inner soul patterns mirror their own, whether in higher afterlife realms or in lower states of consciousness. The following testimonies explore how this principle of affinity appears repeatedly in NDEs, shaping both heavenly and hell-like experiences, as well as reincarnational groupings.
NDEr Arthur Yensen states that, in heaven, the saying is true that “birds of a feather flock together”: “When we manifest unconditional love, our soul vibration are so high that the only place we can fit into is heaven. People don’t go to heaven because of their good deeds, but because their soul vibration of spiritual love fits in and belongs there. After death, people gravitate into groups according to the rate of their soul’s vibration. Birds of a feather flock together. This connection between the level of soul vibration we have in determining the level of heavenly vibration we realize after death is the same principle as putting a coin into the slot of a coin counter. The coin just naturally fits to its proper location. So it is with the soul. After death, our soul naturally fits in the level of heaven we have developed within us.
Arthur Yensen continues: “After death, if a soul has been too bad, they go to a realm of lower vibrations where their kind of thoughts can live. If they entered heaven, they would be annihilated by the Master-Vibration of God. This is because souls gravitate into groups according to the rate of their soul’s vibrations. If the percent of discord in a soul is small, it can be eliminated by God; then the remaining good can live on in heaven. However, if the percentage of bad were too high, this couldn’t be done, and the person would have to gravitate to a lower level and live with people of his own kind. Birds of a feather, flock together.”
NDEr Dr. George Ritchie learned that birds of a feather flock together because when others know your thoughts the minute you think them in the afterlife, they tend to group with the ones who think the same way they do. He states, “In our own realm of the existence, Earth, we have a saying, ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’ The main reason that they stick together is because it is too threatening to be with beings with whom you disagree when they know it.”
NDE researcher Deanna M Kessler-Drinkar concludes that birds of a feather flock together when it comes to the self-created, consciousness-based view of “hell” even in all the afterlife: “You and you alone can put yourself into a state of ‘hell’… ‘Birds of a feather flock together’ even in the lowest of vibrational states in the next realm.”
Kevin Williams concludes that the soul’s journey after death is like when birds of a feather flock together. Even in the lowest hell realms, souls are not randomly placed together; they are grouped by shared attitudes, beliefs, or emotional patterns. Many NDErs describe the hell realms as: (1) lacking divine punishment; (2) sustained by mutual reinforcement of negativity; (3) dissolving once a being becomes willing to change. Read about this phenomenon in George Ritchie’s NDE and Howard Storm’s NDE involving various afterlife realms, including hell realms, where souls group together like birds of a feather.
Psychic George Anderson said, when it comes to reincarnation, birds of a feather flock together: “We all seem to stay together with the same people that we felt close with – birds of a feather flock together. We may have different parents, our brother or sister could be our parent next time. But we do seem to stay with the same other souls that we feel a certain affinity with, or a good vibration with.”
11. Miscellaneous Animal Insights
NDEs often broaden the meaning of love beyond human relationships, revealing a vision of reality in which animals and nature are fully included in the spiritual order. Unconditional love is described as the fundamental force of existence extending equally to people, animals, the Earth, and all living things. These NDEs show that compassion toward animals is an essential expression of God’s love. Respect for animals are portrayed as natural outcomes of spiritual awakening to this deeper truth. Altogether, these insights emphasize that to love God’s creation in all its forms is to walk closer to the Source of love from which everything arises.
Nicole learned that God loves all animals: “No matter who you are in this world, gay, straight, black, white, African or American, whoever you are, male, female, transgender, animal… whoever or whatever if it’s created, God loves it.”
Dr. Eben Alexander learned that our love for animals are included in unconditional love: “Love is, without a doubt, the basis of everything. Not some abstract, hard- to-fathom kind of love but the day-to-day kind that everyone knows – the kind of love we feel when we look at our spouse and our children, or even our animals. In its purest and most powerful form, this love is not jealous or selfish, but unconditional.”
Rev. George Rodonaia learned from his NDE that loving people, animals, and nature is the one truly significant work to do in life: “There is only one truly significant work to do in life, and that is love; to love nature, to love people, to love animals, to love creation itself, just because it is. To serve God’s creation with a warm and loving hand of generosity and compassion – that is the only meaningful existence.”
Steve D. learned that love for humans and animals is all that matters: “At some point, it was communicated to me that ‘love is all that matters.’ This meant love for all fellow humans, love and respect for the Earth, for the birds, animals, and even insects. All things are from our Creator and we are all, everything connected at every level.”
Beth Hammond learned that having no love for animals means having no love for God: “All animals on Earth help teach humans what is important in life. If a person has no love or respect for animals, they have no respect or love for God.”
Edgar Cayce once stated that: “He who understands nature walks close with God.”
Veronica M.‘s NDE resulted in her ability to communicate with animals: “The greatest love that I have ever known has come from my beloved cat Nicholas. I seem to have an innate ability to communicate and commune lovingly with all animals.”
12. Publications About Animals and the Afterlife
The question of whether animals survive death – and whether the bonds we share with them continue – has inspired a growing body of literature that blends personal spirituality and scientific inquiry. The following books and research explore the reality that animals possess enduring consciousness and have ongoing relationships with humans beyond physical life. They show that the love shared between people and their animal companions may not be confined to a single lifetime, but may continue through after-death communications (ADCs), dreams, psychic connections, and transformative encounters after death.
Kim Sheridan‘s book Animals and the Afterlife: True Stories of Our Best Friends’ Journey Beyond Death is a compassionate and affirming exploration of a deeply human question: Do our beloved animals survive death, and can they remain connected to us afterward? Drawing on hundreds of firsthand accounts, Sheridan presents compelling experiences suggesting that animals possess enduring consciousness and continue their bonds with humans beyond physical death. The book resonates with readers who have sensed a departed pet’s presence, dreamed vividly of them, or felt comforted, guided, or protected after their passing. Sheridan challenges the notion that animals are merely instinctual beings, portraying pets instead as emotionally intelligent and spiritually aware companions. Many stories describe animals appearing shortly after death – through dreams, waking visions, sounds, sensations, or subtle signs such as familiar behaviors or energy impressions – often during moments of grief, offering reassurance that the bond remains intact. A central theme is that love does not end with death, as animals are frequently described comforting their owners, staying close to family members, or returning later in life to offer guidance. Some accounts describe animals seemingly returning through reincarnation, recognized by distinctive traits or an immediate sense of familiarity, echoing themes found in Eastern religions and some NDEs. The familiar “Rainbow Bridge” motif gains experiential depth through vivid descriptions of animals in radiant, peaceful realms – healthy, joyful, and free from pain – awaiting reunion. Sheridan’s work closely parallels human NDE patterns, including animals appearing in realms of light, telepathic communication, environments filled with love and peace, and a clear continuity of identity, reinforcing the idea that consciousness and relationship may persist across species boundaries.
Karen Anderson’s book, The Amazing Afterlife of Animals, is designed especially for people grieving the loss of a pet. It offers heart-centered stories, actual messages, and interpretations from animals who have passed on, providing comfort and a hopeful perspective on life after death. The narrative blends Anderson’s experiences with real accounts of animals communicating from the “Other Side,” touching on themes such as euthanasia, reincarnation, afterlife experiences, and ongoing spiritual connections. Our deceased pets continue to exist as energetic beings in a spiritual realm and maintain contact with their loved ones on Earth through signs and messages.
In his book Dog Miracles: Inspirational and Heroic True Stories, NDEr Brad Steiger includes accounts in which dogs appear to return after death to comfort or protect their human companions. One such story describes a beloved dog that had recently died but was later seen and heard repeatedly by its grieving owner. The dog’s familiar footsteps, breathing sounds, and the sensation of weight on the bed were experienced exactly as when the dog was alive. On several occasions, the owner even felt the dog curl up beside them, producing an overwhelming sense of comfort and peace rather than fear. What made the experience especially meaningful was that these encounters occurred during moments of intense grief or emotional distress, as if the dog were intentionally returning to reassure its human that love survives death. The appearances eventually faded once the owner reached emotional acceptance – suggesting, in Steiger’s interpretation, that the dog’s purpose had been fulfilled.
The book Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home by biologist Rupert Sheldrake, explores compelling evidence that dogs – and other animals – often display an apparent ability to anticipate their owners’ return, even when no ordinary sensory cues are available. Drawing on detailed case studies, controlled observations, and reports from pet owners around the world, Sheldrake documents behaviors such as dogs waiting at doors or windows precisely when their humans decide to come home, despite unpredictable schedules. He argues that these phenomena challenge conventional explanations based solely on conditioning or routine and suggests they may involve a form of extended mind or nonlocal connection rooted in emotional bonds. The book invites readers to reconsider the limits of animal perception and consciousness, proposing that the deep relationships between humans and animals may operate on levels not yet fully understood by mainstream science.
The book The Incredible Animal Afterlife: What Your Pet Wants You to Know is a compassionate, spiritually-oriented book by animal communicator Danielle MacKinnon that explores what beloved pets experience when they die – from the animals’ own perspective as relayed through intuitive communication. Rather than recounting true stories of pets passing, this book offers an in-depth look at the dying process, the afterlife, and the continued relationship between pets and their humans – based on what MacKinnon says the animals themselves have communicated to her in thousands of intuitive readings over more than 20 years. The book addresses core questions that many grieving pet owners ask, such as: (1) Why losing a pet hurts so deeply; (2) Whether animals fear dying; (3) How to tell if a pet is ready to cross over; (4) What actually happens as an animal transitions; (5) Whether pets can continue to communicate with us from the “Other Side”; and (6) What one’s pet wants you to know about their death and afterlife experience. This book is often recommended by pet loss support communities and readers seeking spiritual reassurance about pet death and the afterlife.
The book Signs From Pets in the Afterlife: Identifying Messages From Your Pets After They Have Crossed Over by Lyn Ragan is a spiritually oriented guidebook that helps readers recognize and interpret what the author describes as after-death communications (ADCs) – “signs,” “messages,” and “signals” – from beloved pets who have passed away. It approaches the subject from a belief in ongoing soul connections beyond physical death, offering reassurance to those grieving the loss of an animal companion. Ragan presents the idea that pets continue to connect with their former human companions after they die, using subtle and sometimes surprising signs from the afterlife. These signs are meant to express love, comfort, and ongoing presence. The book is structured as a simple, accessible format meant to help readers notice and interpret various types of signs that might signify a pet’s presence or message from the afterlife. The emphasis is on openness and heightened awareness rather than scientific proof. Ragan discusses manifestations that range from encounters with animals or birds, symbolic events in nature, feathers, weather phenomena, dreams, or strong intuitive feelings and synchronicities. The message is that these occurrences can be meaningful if interpreted through an open, spiritually receptive lens.
The book All Pets Go To Heaven: The Spiritual Lives of the Animals We Love by the NDEr Sylvia Browne is a heartfelt and reassuring exploration of the spiritual destiny of animals, written especially for those grieving the loss of a beloved pet. Drawing on Browne’s lifelong work as a psychic and spiritual teacher, the book affirms a central message: animals possess souls, consciousness, and enduring individuality that survives physical death. This book seeks to comfort readers by dissolving the fear that death represents a permanent separation from animal companions. Browne insists that pets do not simply fade away but transition into a loving spiritual realm where they remain healthy, joyful, and aware. Browne argues that animals are spiritual beings who incarnate to give and receive love. Their souls, though different from human souls, are no less real or eternal. Pets are said to cross into a peaceful realm often described in familiar imagery – lush meadows, warmth, light, and freedom – where pain and aging no longer exist. One of the book’s most consoling claims is that pets recognize and reunite with their humans after death, often greeting them immediately upon arrival in the afterlife. Browne suggests that animals incarnate specifically to teach humans lessons about unconditional love, loyalty, forgiveness, and presence. This book includes accounts of signs, dreams, and intuitive experiences through which pets may reassure their owners that they are safe and still connected.
The book Pets and the Afterlife: How They Communicate From the Other Side and More by Rob Gutro explores the idea that cherished animal companions continue to exist after physical death and communicate with their human loved ones from the spirit realm. The book is written for pet owners who have lost an animal and are grieving that loss. It presents the central idea that the deep love we share with our pets doesn’t end with death, and that animals retain intelligence, presence, and a capacity to send signs or communications from the Other Side. Gutro discusses how dogs, cats, horses, and some birds may communicate with humans after death, offering comfort through signs and subtle interactions that point to ongoing awareness beyond the physical plane. Throughout the book, readers are guided to recognize and interpret signs from departed pets – such as dreams, noises, sensing presence, or unexpected events – that may be interpreted as messages from the spirit of a pet. The author includes narratives from his own experiences, including accounts involving his two dogs and communications reported by other mediums. There are also accounts of “spirit cats” and instances where departed animals show presence in meaningful ways. Gutro also touches on related themes, such as the difference between ghosts and spirits, what happens to pets after death (including concepts like “waiting” for their human), and how living pets can sense unseen entities.
The paper entitled Experiences of Dying Animals: Parallels With End-of-Life Experiences in Humans (PDF) by Rupert Sheldrake, Michael Nahm, and Pam Smart represents one of the first systematic attempts to analyze and categorize reports of remarkable behaviors observed in non-human animals during their final stages of life. The authors collected anecdotal reports – primarily from pet owners – and examined whether these animal behaviors show similarities to documented end-of-life experiences (ELEs) in humans. Interest in human ELEs such as terminal lucidity, premonitions, and NDEs has grown over recent decades. However, the question of whether animals experience analogous phenomena at the end of life had not been systematically studied before this paper. The authors received a number of detailed anecdotal accounts describing behavioral and experiential phenomena occurring shortly before animals died. These accounts were then grouped into several recurrent categories based on the types of experiences described by respondents. The authors classified the collected reports into these major types: (1) Last Goodbyes – Animals appear to seek out specific family members or companions shortly before death. (2) Last Visits – Instances where animals seem to visit people or places meaningful to them before dying. (3) Last Rally – A sudden temporary improvement in behavior, energy, or awareness shortly before death. (4) Retreating into Solitude – Animals withdrawing to quiet or isolated places as death approaches. (5) Unusual Premonitions of Death – Behaviors suggesting awareness that death is near. (6) Somatic Surprises – Spontaneous or unexpected physical responses. (7) Terminal Lucidity – A temporary return of clarity or responsiveness near the end of life, comparable to reports in humans. (8) Potential Near-Death Visions – Accounts interpreted by owners as possible visions or awareness beyond physical death.
13. Conclusion
Altogether, these NDE testimonies present a remarkably consistent reality in which animals are an important part of life. NDEs repeatedly depict animals as conscious beings who survive bodily death, participate in afterlife realms, communicate through love and telepathy, and remain bonded to humans in meaningful ways. Whether encountered as the soul’s beloved pets, wild animals, birds of light, or even unfamiliar life forms, animals appear as expressions of the same animating Source that gives rise to all existence.
These testimonies challenge deeply rooted assumptions that restrict the soul to humanity alone. Instead, they portray life as a continuum of consciousness in which humans, animals, plants, and even the elements are woven together in a living web of consciousness. They show that identity and relationships endure beyond physical bodies, transcending species boundaries. In the life review, this unity is revealed as kindness or harm toward animals which is experienced directly, revealing love as a universal spiritual reality.
Perhaps most striking is the spiritual implication that love extends naturally to all forms of life, and growth in consciousness is inseparable from reverence for God’s creation. Animals are shown as companions and teachers but also as fellow travelers in an evolving journey of consciousness that spans lifetimes, worlds, and forms. From this perspective, how humans relate to animals reflects how deeply they understand their own place within the greater whole.
