“The theology would hint that heaven and earth are not for God, but for God’s creatures. And, thus, animals that have been so loving and helpful to their owners would be there, too. Some Christians imagine an afterlife where we spend eternity loving and praising God. They say we don’t even need each other—just God. But that is so contrary to all that we know about God and his love and need for us. Aren’t parents most happy when their children are happy and loving one another? What heaven is like is far beyond our wildest imaginations. Our call on our earthly journey is simply to know, love, and serve God as best we can. But what God has planned for us we cannot conceive.” Jim Van Vurst, OFM
Over the past several months, a number of my friends had pets that crossed over Rainbow Bridge. Over the years, we have all lost pets – from dogs & cats to horses, fish, rats and yes, even snakes. I suppose that in the great span of human existence and in countries around the world almost every animal type that has ever existed has been someone’s pet. So it begs the question: Do our pets go to heaven when they die? My answer is a resounding yes! Now I will gladly defend my position.
But first, we need to lay some groundwork in Cliff’s Notes fashion – as in one or two quick paragraphs:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” (Apostle’s Creed)
In short, we need to believe in the God that created Heaven to begin with. We also need to believe in His Promise Kept – that is, if we believe in Jesus, God promises us eternal life:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV)
Having laid this important foundation, we know there is a loving God and an opportunity to live eternally in a place called Heaven. These are great quotes from those far wiser or more eloquent that I am:
“We talk about heaven being so far away. It is within speaking distance to those who belong there. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” Dwight Moody
“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” C.S. Lewis
“Death and love are the two wings that bear the good man to Heaven.” Michelangelo
“We were born to die and we die to live. As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in Heaven.” Russell Nelson
“I would not give one moment of Heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years.” Martin Luther
“O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” St. Francis of Assisi
1. All created beings are children of the Father. Saint Francis of Assisi lived from 1181 to 1226. In my opinion, he had one of the most clear thinking and progressive views of man, animals, and the relationship of one with the other. I choose St. Francis to help prove my point about pets because it is believed by the majority of Christians that in the entirely of world history since the death of Christ, St. Francis was most like his hero, Jesus.
That being said, Francis believed that the animals were our brothers and sisters: “All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man. … God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.” In his ministry, Francis not only preached to humans, but also to the animals as well. There are also some amazing stories written about Francis. Once, he asked a noisy flock of birds to keep quiet while he was preaching to other humans. The birds not only fell silent, but remained so until he was done. On another occasion, Francis also persuaded a wolf to stop terrorizing a hamlet if its citizens would feed him on a regular basis. There were many stories of his interaction with the animals. Finally, when the beloved saint died at the rather young age of 44, it was said that the donkey that had carried him on its back during his travels wept uncontrollably.
I know that some who read these words might think that Francis was crazy or that the stories are just plain untrue. However, the stories are well documented by a number of witnesses. And as far as the state of his mind is concerned, he almost converted the Sultan of Egypt to Christianity. Even though in the end he failed, he not only was able to leave Egypt with his life, but long after his death, it would be the Franciscans that Muslims allowed to remain as the ‘Custodians of the Holy Land’ to this day.
2. Our Father has prepared everything in Heaven for our perfect happiness. As Jim Van Vurst has so eloquently spoken, God prepared Heaven for the beings that He has created and loved. Of course it is to His glory, but more to show his unparalleled love, forever. God loved His Son and His Creation. Heaven is the perfect place to celebrate both. As the late evangelist Billy Graham has so wisely pointed out: “”I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there (in Heaven), I believe he’ll be there.”
I once tried to use this same argument to save a dear friend’s life. The day that I found out that he had lost his soulmate to suicide, I started sending him on a daily basis stories that I created just for him and, quotes and photos that would lift his spirit and send it soaring. Over time I even started a business with him to get him plugged back into the business of life.
Twenty-three months after his beloved’s suicide, his 11-year-old dog Brutus died. This wonderful ‘gentledog’ pit bull was lucky to have lived past the age of three. At that time, my friend paid $10,000 on heart surgery for Brutus. After Brutus’ died, my friend was of course heartbroken. I knew that I had to get him to let go and move on as soon as was humanly possible. So, I sent him this story that I created:
Dear Dad,
Did you not know that all dogs go to heaven? It is one of the benefits of being noble, loyal, loving and pure-hearted. After I closed my eyes for the last time, I left my pain and infirmities behind! Dad, it was like I was a young dog again! I spent the first hour just running and jumping in some of the coolest dog parks I have ever seen!
Helen and the others greeted me and have shown me the ropes. Yes, some of the cats are up here too. Twice a day there are special banquets with tons of kibble choices. Of course there is also plenty of beef, fish & poultry! The reason that we only eat twice a day is that we are allowed to sleep in! Can you imagine that Dad? That was one of the great benefits of living with you!
Every weekend we will go to a special spa. We will get our teeth brushed, nails clipped, and get a full body massage. We will get to watch our favorite programs on television and run through a special obstacle course with neat bridges, balls, etc. On Sunday nights, we will dress up in top hats and tails and escort famous heavenly VIPs to a banquet. It has been rumored that I have been assigned to the famous Biblical legend David! Can you imagine that? Do you think that I will look good in a top hat and tails, Dad?
Dad, you will never guess who I ran into up here! Yep, Uncle Matthew! He has been hanging out with his dad and other friends and relatives. He still feels sad that a very bad decision on his part took him away from you — at least on the earthly plain. But, he is encouraged that these consequences are not permanent — he knows that he will see you and be with you again someday! He watches over you all of the time — as all of your loved ones that are up here do! I will be doing that in the future too — until we all see you again!
But, Uncle Matthew and I both agree on one thing. You have to go on living, Dad. You need to move on. When Uncle Matthew & Helen went to heaven Dad, I was very sad about it. But, I continued guarding the house, protecting you against that nefarious mailman and others. I never once shirked my responsibilities, even one day. When Daisy came to live with us, I was very happy — because it only underscored through her play and antics that life goes on! I grew to love Daisy for that! I never stopped learning important lessons from her!
Dad, Daisy needs you now more than ever. She is sad because I am gone and she does not understand that I will see her again. Because dogs are social and are pack animals, please get her a playmate soon. That Pitbull rescue group is really pretty cool and brought us Daisy. Don’t let her go too long without a canine companion, Dad.
Your father and siblings need you now more than ever. They are getting older — as you are too Dad, and life is too short not to value them to their fullest every single day!
Dad, don’t forget that friendship is always a two way street. You have tons of people that love you and who have been very loyal to you in the good times and the hard times. You can be so introspective at times. Please come out of your shell and with that huge heart of yours value and love them every single day!
You also are in a partnership with some cool cats who are working on a great opportunity. Not only will this provide fun and good things to do, but it will help to open up an exciting new future for you and many others — for different reasons. Your partners have been very patient with you because they love you and want you to be a part of this. Please continue to stay the course and see this through to the profitable end!
Now Dad, I have to get ready for the banquet — so better get into my top hat and tails. Until I see you again in the great heavenly dog park, I will be keeping an eye on you and the Daisynator. In the meantime, please get off of your haunches and start living again! While you are doing that — take Daisy for lots of walks!
Your loving and faithful friend always,
Brutus
My friend died about a month to the day that Brutus died. Of course he died of a broken heart. But now, they are together in Heaven.
When my friend died that March, over the next 9 months I lost 18 loved ones – including a cousin, the father of some of the children that I care for and my mother. These words are not just some good thoughts in order to help my friends who have lost pets or loved ones feel better. The deep faith that is the foundation for this article kept me moving forward and sane. It is a belief system designed to give us hope, not depression or fear. My expectation is that I will see my loved ones who have passed on – whether humans or my pets again, in the future, in Heaven!
3. Our life on Earth and our future life in Heaven are intertwined, deeply connected and mirror images of each other. This is not a theory, it is a thought process that flows into a way of life. This is one of the reasons that Mankind is supposed to be good stewards and guardians of our Earth, the animals that live on it and also of the environment. As Michelangelo has said, “My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth’s loveliness.” Henry David Thoreau understood this concept as well when he wrote: “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”
I believe that one of our major faults as humans is that we don’t empathize enough. If this was true, our Earth would be totally free of pollution, nobody would live in poverty, etc. As Neil deGrasse Tyson has said: “Humans aren’t as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were ‘reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.”
To those of you who have lost loved ones, whether humans or pets, I hope that this brings you hope. I know it doesn’t make the pain go away. But what it does is points to the light at the end of the tunnel. The one thing that all humanity has in common is that we’ve faced the loss of a loved one at one time or another. But, the loss is a temporary one, that is if we truly believe the words of C.S. Lewis:
“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth, and you will get neither.”
Until next time!
Anthony Cota
Anthony Cota 
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