Do All Dogs Go To Heaven?

A couple of days ago I buried my favorite dog. I am still grieving, missing her so. Unfortunately the grandchildren were here when she was hit on the road, so they helped me bury her. They were upset by my grief and tried to comfort me by saying she is in heaven. 

Do you believe our beloved pets go to heaven? The Bible does not mention them going to heaven, although it does say that there are animals in heaven. Some would say only people have souls, so we only know about people, and even not all of them go to heaven.

I believe our pets go to heaven. C.S. Lewis has written that our love for our pets (animals, for I must include my horses as well) gives them a type of soul that allows them to enter heaven. I believe too that since God is a good God, and merciful, He knows that seeing our pets in heaven will multiply our joy in being there. That is not to say that our joy will not be complete in seeing Jesus, but we know that we will see beloved friends and relatives there, so why not our animals? 

That helps a little but I still miss her so much. She was a young dog, only 1 ½ years so I had expected to have her with me for much longer. She was pregnant with her first litter and we were excited for her puppies, for she was beautiful with sky blue eyes that seemed to melt into mine. I wonder sometimes why the young ones have to go. It makes sense when the older ones pass, for they decline and we hate to see them suffer. I explained to the children that our pets usually die before we do; it seems God has granted them a shorter life span. I guess this is so we can love more than a few.

My heart is always warmed by the memories of dogs and horses that I have been blessed with in my life. There have been some really special ones: Whistle, the border collie cross, Skeeter, my very first dog, a Dalmatian who went with me everywhere and was a guardian for me in my teen years, Tempo, the first aussie puppy that earned the breed my unwavering devotion. The horses too, Taradames who gave me her heart, left my life and returned years later,  like a true to life Black Beauty story, Sanfu, who took me to national level competing, and Jontue, the Thoroughbred mare who became one with me and would jump anything at which I pointed her, and who followed the hounds as avidly as me. I believe they are all waiting for me, in that special place Jesus has designed for my “mansion”. 

Someday I will not cry for Whimsey, but that day is not yet. Someday I will just remember her with love and joy, and no grief, but today is not that day. Now I still cry and miss her.