Sorry, I pasted one quote twice. This is the site I got most of them from.

http://www.ourchurch.com/member/w/w_lasalle/

Spirit to me is sentience, which I think is valuable to God. I believe all sentient life has intrinsic value to God i.e. we and animals are valuable for ourselves, not for how much others value us.

No human might love an unknown stray dog dying in an alley on a cold winter's night, but I believe that creature matters to God, and all the suffering he/she goes through, and welcomes the dog to heaven at death.