Paranormal......Doggy?

Sorry to hear about the loss of your pet. They can be much like family to us. I absolutely do believe that animals can have spirits that can linger behind. I , myself, have had an experience with the spirit of a dog while walking down an alley one early evening. It caught me totally off guard as that was the last thing I was expecting to run in to but that's what I seemed to of encountered. I had my hand down to my side and from out of nowhere I felt the wet snout of a dog come up and put it in my right hand. It was like it wanted attention and wanted me to pet it. I immediately reacted as I knew what it was. Ive had dogs before and they can be hyper and affectionate like that. When I looked and reached down I even caught myself saying aloud "Hey Puppy"....but when I looked where the dog should of been , it was not there. I was so confuesed. I did a 360 and looked all around for it but cold not see or find a dog anywhere around. I was thinking how odd this was and it made no sense. It was still light out so I could see everything around. I could of not gotten away from me that fast. I stood there for a moment confused and considered that I could of just experienced a ghost. Just then , I heard a dog howl off in the neighborhood. My hairs stood on end. After the dog that was howling stoped , every dog in every backyard around me started barking. I started walking just then... I was very curious, a little creeped out but not afraid. To this day I do believe in spirits and ghosts. This is very much an aspect to our reality. Take care.