Do dogs go to heaven?
Have you heard about Dexter, the pug from Allentown, Pa., who died recently after an illness at 7 years old? His owner, Tim Beville Jr., a pastor and preacher, gave his companion a funeral, and a Facebook post of the ceremony has gone viral.
There was a room full of flowers and captions that proclaimed, “Run Free Dexter!”
“We are heartbroken that he is gone, but so very thankful for the seven years of laughter and joy that he brought to our lives,” Beville wrote. “He’s at peace and in heaven.”
Earlier this week, former President Barack Obama tweeted about the death of his dog Bo, 12. “Our family lost a true friend and loyal companion,” he wrote. “For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives — happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and every day in between ... He was exactly what we needed and more than we ever expected. We will miss him dearly.”
After my friend’s cat Boo died, I told him, “You know, our pets will be in heaven.”
OK, I’ve never been to heaven so how the heck do I know what I’m talking about? (I guess you can say anything when you have a column.)
Animal lovers often wonder about the afterlife and their pets. Nationwide, there are more than 600 pet cemeteries, and many gravestones are inscribed with religious symbols, including the Star of David and the cross, which says a lot about the spiritual dimension of animal companions.
The foremost researchers on near-death experiences, including Dr. Kenneth Ring of the University of Connecticut, cite countless reports of people having heavenly encounters with their pets. Read them for yourself: https://bit.ly/3heLkMJ
Theologians traditionally have said pets don’t have souls and can’t go to heaven, but to my thinking, God is inclusive and if he knows we love them, he wants us to be together forever. I didn’t come up with that idea myself. It was C.S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicles of Narnia,”
Pope Paul VI reportedly said, “One day we will see our animals again in eternity. Paradise is open to all God’s creatures.” However, Benedict XVI said animals aren’t meant for eternal life. The poor pope probably never had a dog or a cat.
who said deep relationships with humans grant immortality to pets.
“It seems to me that certain animals may have an immortality, not in themselves, but in the immortality of their masters,” he wrote in “The Problem of Pain.”
Pope Paul VI reportedly said, “One day we will see our animals again in eternity. Paradise is open to all God’s creatures.” However, Benedict XVI said animals aren’t meant for eternal life. The poor pope probably never had a dog or a cat.
Billy Graham disagreed: “I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness in heaven. If it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.”
Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” believes dogs and cats “absolutely” go to heaven: “I can’t imagine God not allowing my dog into heaven. Cats too. Why not?” And Jesuit theologian John Hardon wrote, “Clearly, we do not need pets to provide happiness in heaven, but pets and such creatures will be brought to heaven to become part of our creaturely happiness in the heavenly kingdom.”
We’ve come a long way since the philosopher Rene Descartes (“I think, therefore I am”) wrote dogs off as mindless creatures. Now, we know they can think, grieve, suffer and feel compassion. I’ve seen our dog Bella comfort my wife Sandy while she was crying over the illness of a friend. She’d jump on her lap and start licking her face.
When I asked her, “Will Bella be in heaven?” she responded, “It’s a no-brainer. God loves us so much, why would he deprive us of something we love, something he gave us.”
Animals change people’s lives for the better. In “Pack of Two,” the late Caroline Knapp, whose life was troubled by alcoholism, the death of her parents, and a failed relationship, found redemption in a rescue dog. She wrote, “I have fallen in love with my dog . ... I’m 38 and I’m single, and I’m having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. We all learn about love in different ways, and this way happens to be mine, through a 2-year-old, 45-pound shepherd mix named Lucille.”
Death can’t be the end for any creature who provides so much love and joy in our lives, here ... and hereafter. Besides, in heaven anything is possible.