Magic Forums

So here's my question: What's the difference between a spirit animal and a familiar, and could either one be a pet? I've recently found out that my spirit animal is a wolf, which makes a lot of sense when I look back at my life. I have two dogs in which the qualities of the wolf apply heavily, and one is always trying to get into my room whenever I'm doing a spell. Could one of my dogs be either a familiar and/or spirit animal? (Really, very confused on the matter)