The Spirit and the Little Dog(Society, May 4th, 1860 – Medium Mr. Didier)
Mr. G. G… from Marseille transcribes the following fact to us:
“A young man died eight months ago and his family, in which
there are three sisters who are mediums, evoke him every day, using
a basket. Every time that the spirit is called, a dog, which the young
man was very fond of, hops on the table, smells the basket, and yelps.
The first time it happened the basket wrote: “My brave little dog that
recognizes me.”
“I have not witnessed the fact myself but the persons from whom I
heard the story did see it and those are good spiritists and very serious
people, so I cannot doubt their honesty. I asked myself if the spirit had
kept sufficient material particles to reach the dog’s sniffing capability or
if the dog was able to see the spirit. It is a problem that seems useful to
investigate further in case it is not solved yet.”
1. Evocation of Mr. … deceased eight months ago, who was just
mentioned above. – A. I am here.
2. Do you confirm the fact relative to your little dog, which comes
to smell the basket which is used for your evocations, apparently
recognizing you? – A. Yes.
3. Could you tell us what is it that attracts the dog to the basket? –
A. The extreme subtleness of the senses that may lead the dog to
guess the presence of the spirit or even see it.
4. Does the dog see or feel you? – A. The smell above all and the
magnetic fluid.
Charlet
Observation: Charlet, the painter, gave a series of remarkable
communications to the Society about animals, which we will
publish soon. That was certainly the reason why he had spontaneously
interfered with the present communication.
5. Since Charlet wants to intervene in the current issue we ask him
to provide us with some explanations about it. – A. Gladly. The
fact is perfectly trustworthy, and consequently natural. I speak in
general because I don’t have the details of the case you are discussing.
A dog is endowed by a very particular organization. They
understand humans: that is enough. They feel them, following
them in all of their actions, bearing the curiosity of a child; they
love humans and even dedicate entirely to them – and you have
examples to confirm what I am saying. Dogs must be – I am not
positive, please understand that well – but they must be one of
those animals which come from a more advanced world to support
humans in their sufferings, serve and protect them. I have
just mentioned moral qualities that dogs certainly have. As for
their sensitive faculties these are extremely delicate. Every hunter
knows the subtleness of a dog’s sniff. Besides that quality the dog
understands almost all actions of humans; understands the meaning
of their death. Why wouldn’t they perceive the presence of
their soul or even see them?
Charlet
The next day Mrs. Lesc…, a medium also member of the Society,
received the following explanation about the same subject:
“The fact cited at the Society is true; although once the spirit is
disconnected from the body it does not have any of its odors. The dog
sniffed the presence of its owner. When I say sniffed I mean that its
organs detected his presence but the nose did not feel or the eyes did
not see; however, the whole dog’s body was somehow warned about the
owner’s presence, and that warning was passed to the dog mainly by
the will expressed by the souls of those who evoked the dead person.
Human wishes reach and warn the instinct of the animals, particularly
of the dogs, before any exterior sign reveals those wishes. The dog is in
direct communication with us, the spirits, through their nervous fibers,
almost as much as they are with men. The dog perceives the apparitions;
it is aware of the difference between them and the real or Earthly things,
and they are very afraid of them. The dog howls to the moon, according
to the vulgar expression; it also does so when it feels death coming. In
these two cases, and in many others, the dog is intuitive. I shall add that
its vision is less developed than its sensations. It sees less than it feels.
The electric fluid penetrates the dog almost routinely. The fact which
served me as a starting point, therefore not surprising, since at the time
when the wish for calling his owner was out, the dog felt his presence
almost as quickly as the spirit heard it and responded to the call which
was addressed to him.”
George, a familiar spirit
