My Theory on Pets and Heaven

I went with my parents and my brother to put the family dog to sleep this afternoon. It was the first time I'd done such a thing, and I honestly hope I don't have to do it again. Unfortunately, the odds are probably against me, since I'm an animal lover and a "pet parent". If you've ever lost a pet, you can probably relate to the notion that life would be far easier if we all became priests or nuns and never really invested in anyone or anything emotionally.

Aw, we say it, but we're pushovers. One puppy kiss, one kitty rubbing up against our legs and we're sold on the idea of adopting pets all over again.

The question is, where do our pets go when they die?
If you're an atheist, then pets go into the ground or into an oven and that's it.
If you're like me - over-spiritualizing everything from a good cup of coffee to a bad hair day - there's more to it than that.

Christians - who tend to take things way more literally than they need to be - are sort of divided on where animals go, if anywhere. Some say animals have souls, some say animals don't. Both sides are pretty determined to have the only correct answer. So here's MY theory, for what little it's worth.

I don't know if animals have souls. I tend to think they do, only because they have distinct personalities, they supposedly feel love, they are loyal, and God created them to not only help us but keep us company. Do I think my dog is up in Heaven playing with my brother's dearly departed cat? Yes. If I'm wrong, do I think I'll have to answer to God on Judgment Day? No. I can't picture God getting mad at me for thinking Winston is in Heaven.

That being said... I don't know for sure whether or not they have souls.
Anyone ever read "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn? His interpretation is that Heaven will be a familiar place where we are surrounded by everything we love. Sounds pretty biblical to me. So why WOULDN'T our pets be there?

And since there are no tears and there is no sadness in Heaven... even if our pets WEREN'T there... the rest of Heaven would be so perfect, we wouldn't know the difference.

Either way, I think the odds are in our favor... at least as far as Heaven goes. Pin It