This is a more difficult question than you might imagine. The short answer is no, animals do not have souls in the same sense as human beings. We know this because only human beings are created in God’s image, that is, with a touch of the Divine which is the essential ingredient in having a soul. By contrast, animals do not possess something God-like that returns to God when they die. Of course, animals do possess the gift of life from God and, therefore, Jewish law requires us to treat animals with respect and kindness. In addition, the pleasure that a pet gives us also lives on in our memory after they die but that is not the same as a human soul enjoying eternal life. While animals are, like humans, creatures of God, they do not have a soul; for possession of a soul is the essence of what makes us human.

Rabbi Freedman"