May 30, 2007 Do dogs go to Heaven?

May 30, 2007

Do Dogs go to Heaven?

Losing a beloved pet is an unfortunate part of life. When our animals pass away it seems so soon, so unfair and why can’t they live longer? For many people, myself included, our pets are part of our family. I can’t imagine a house without my pets. When you lose a pet, that emptiness surrounds you and even though you are sure you will never want another one, when you least expect it sometimes, another pet finds you, and you start all over again.
It’s never easy losing a pet. Facing the thought of euthanasia is daunting to most people. The guilt of playing executioner looms over us. Yet, it is humane and kind and ends suffering. I recently had the honor; yes, it was an honor, to help a friend who just could not take her dog on that last trip to the vet. I took him and stayed with him until the end. He was held gently and loved. He was kissed and spoken to softly, and told how much his family and I loved him. He passed quietly and peacefully. I know the pain of losing pets, and I know how hard it is to make that final trip. It was an act of love for him and for my friend. I gave her a card with “The Rainbow Bridge” poem on it. Rainbow Bridge is a place pets go to wait for their owners when they pass away. When the owner passes away, they are reunited with their beloved pets so long from our memory but never long from our hearts and they cross the bridge together into Heaven.

Do pets go to Heaven? There is no definitive answer in the Bible to say for sure, that is really up to us to decide. This is what I choose to believe:
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years.
He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white, stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road, which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.
There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there." The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, and then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," was the answer.
"Well, that's confusing,” the traveler said, "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too!"
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell."
"Well, doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?” the traveler asked.
"No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."
Author Unknown