Research source

These apparitions are very perplexing, and raise the question of the immortality of animals--a very vexed…

Date of account: Early twentieth century
Source: True Ghost Stories
Reference: True Ghost Stories · selected passage 42
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

These apparitions are very perplexing, and raise the question of the immortality of animals--a very vexed question, which has given rise to much discussion

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

These apparitions are very perplexing, and raise the question of the immortality of animals--a very vexed question, which has given rise to much discussion. Mr. H. Rider Haggard records the case of his own dog, whose apparition he saw at the very moment that the dog was killed by an express train some miles away. Did the animal succeed in affecting his master by telepathy? If not, why the coincidence? I myself have recorded a case in which a (real) cat spat at a phantom dog, seen independently by a clairvoyant, who had described it a few moments before to a group of spectators. Such cases are very interesting. They tend to prove that dogs, cats, horses and other animals also survive death--a conclusion which is certainly the most humane and logical to many minds.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This comes from historical psychical research. Methods, witness handling and standards of evidence differ from present-day research and should be assessed from the cited passage and edition.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

The passage can support a history of claims and recurring descriptions. It does not establish a paranormal mechanism, and competing psychological, social and physical explanations remain relevant.

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