Do Dogs go to Heaven?
At the risk of seeming self-indulgent, I'd just like to inform the Ricochet community that my bull terrier, Fluffy, has left us.
I'm grateful for the kind comments of all those who responded to this post. With your compassionate counsel, I was able to muster the courage to send her on her way to Elysium and to be there to hold her in my arms as she passed away. I questioned my decision right up to the last second, but as I felt over each passing day that I was watching her die by inches, sustained only by the bravest of hearts, I opted to summon my strength, rather than to allow her to suffer.
I will miss her beauty, her loving nature, her undaunted courage and, most of all, her sense of humor. Bull terriers have a better sense of humor than 95% of humans I've ever known. So, just a small remembrance:
My wife, Elena, was somewhat intimidated by Fluffy when they first met. In Russia, where Elena comes from, bull terriers have a reputation as ferocious animals. Fluffy somehow sensed Elena's trepidation and rejoiced in seizing one of Elena's shoes, shaking it provocatively and growling, as if to say, "Come and get it, if you dare."
For the first two years of our marriage, due to arcane immigration requirements, Elena had to remain in Siberia, though I could bring her to America every few months or so. On one of Elena's visits, Fluffy recognized her as soon as she came through the door. As Elena and I embraced, Fluffy raced upstairs to the closet where Elena stored her clothing, pushed open the accordion doors with her nose, seized one of Elena's shoes and raced back down to the living room to taunt Elena.
I hope Fluffy now dwells in a place where she makes Jesus and the angels laugh. She surely deserves that, much more than I.
RIP: 1994 - 2011.
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Jul '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
My condolences, Kenneth.
Lovely pictures.
Sep '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Kenneth,
My condolences. And I do have some encouraging news. Catholic philosopher Dr Peter Kreeft did take up the question that you ask, and its not a silly one at all. Unfortunately, he the questioner asked about a cat (it was one of thirty six such questions he answered in FAQ form). I clip it in its entirety:
Will there be animals in Heaven? Will my dead cat (dog) be there?
The simplest answer I know to this question, so frequently asked by children, is:
Why not? Children's questions are usually the best ones, and we should beware treating them with any less seriousness than their askers have in asking them. Right now, pets, like everything else in this world, can mediate God's love and goodness to us and train us for our union with him, or they can distract us from him. In Heaven, everything mediates and nothing distracts.
Sep '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
10. Are There Animals in Heaven?
Would the same animals be in Heaven as on earth? "Is my dead cat in Heaven?" Again, why not? God can raise up the very grass [Psalm 90:5-6. If we are "like grass", and we are raised, grass can be raised, too]; why not cats? Though the blessed have better things to do than play with pets, the better does not exclude the lesser. We were meant from the beginning to have stewardship over the animals [Genesis 1:28]; we have not fulfilled that divine plan yet on earth; therefore it seems likely that the right relationship with animals will be part of Heaven: proper "petship". And what better place to begin than with already petted pets?St. Thomas Aquinas, in his treatment of the question, cited above by Peter Kreeft, concludes that neither plants nor animals are "renewed" in heaven after we are resurrected. Kreeft argues, on the other hand, that if plants are in heaven, why not animals, too? I had this thought, myself, when dwelling further on the analogical argument I made above, and before reading Kreeft just now.
From the original link
Jan '11
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
We just put our flat coated retriever down three weeks ago. He had "the cancer" as my one son called it. We got a second flat coat 10 months ago and she helps to fill the void a little, but he was unique and will never be replaced.
As for the Heaven question, we had to tell our children what our particular faith requires and that was a hard thing for them to take in. We then explained to them that energy never actually dies. It just becomes something else. Ripley is now in everything we see around us and I do believe that.
I am very sorry for your loss. Fluffy was a beautiful dog.
Jun '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Your days will be filled with fond remembrances of such a wonderful companion. You and your loved ones are richer for the experience and it's so obvious that he was well-loved. Take care, Kenneth. All the best.
Aug '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Now go rescue a dog from the pound, unless that blind cat from Turkey was meant for you . Sorry for your loss.
Sep '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Kenneth, I missed your previous post about Fluffy. I am so sorry.
All my life, I have lived with and loved various pets, dogs and cats mostly, as well as other assorted creatures. They bring so much joy into one's life, yet there is always that dreaded thought of having to deal with each one's inevitable end. Now, whenever that thought crosses my mind, I just go to them and give them that much more love.
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Eternity without pups wouldn't be very heavenly, so surely Fluffy's there, probably taking over the joint.
Glad it's over, Kenneth. You did the right thing, and hopefully you'll set your eyes on a Fluffy Jr. soon.
Jun '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
I don't have words, Kenneth, but I am deeply moved. My sincerest condolences.
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Kenneth, I think anyone who has ever lost a loved pet can feel and understand how heartbroken you are. I had to put my Newfoundland and Irish Wolfhound to sleep over a decade ago and I still miss them horribly. I'm so sad for you today.
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Sad to hear it, Kenneth. That picture of her with Franklin is great.
I agree with Kreeft's view. Part of the beauty of our world is the endless variety of life's manifestations. It is inconceivable to me that the splendor of Heaven will not similarly include animal companions.
Who knows? If you meet Fluffy again, you might even find her as a puppy again... holding a familiar shoe.
Dec '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
"In Russia, where Elena comes from, bull terriers have a reputation as ferocious animals."
In Oakland, where I come from, they have the same reputation. It's criminal -- literally and figuratively -- that malicious owners have made the breed an object of terror.
As for your question about dogs in Heaven, I commend you to the definitive answer, courtesy of Rod Serling and Earl Hamner Jr.: The Hunt.
Jan '11
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
I would not want to believe in a God that did not grant Paradise to a creature who has served Man more vigilantly and more faithfully than Man has ever served himself or his God.
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Kenneth, I'm a dog lover. I can only say that I feel for you. It's a hard thing.
Here's a poem by Robinson Jeffers that I read at my first dog's memorial service. (See? Told you I was a dog nut...) I couldn't get through it without falling apart, but it's a lovely poem to read.
The House Dog's Grave (for Haig, an English Bulldog)
I've changed my ways a little; I cannot now
Run with you in the evenings along the shore,
Except in a kind of dream; and you,
If you dream a moment,
You see me there.
So leave awhile the paw-marks on the front door
Where I used to scratch to go out or in,
And you'd soon open; leave on the kitchen floor
The marks of my drinking-pan.
I cannot lie by your fire as I used to do
On the warm stone,
Nor at the foot of your bed; no,
All the nights through I lie alone.
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
But your kind thought has laid me less than six feet
Outside your window where firelight so often plays,
And where you sit to read‚
And I fear often grieving for me‚
Every night your lamplight lies on my place.
You, man and woman, live so long, it is hard
To think of you ever dying.
A little dog would get tired, living so long.
I hope that when you are lying
Under the ground like me your lives will appear
As good and joyful as mine.
No, dears, that's too much hope:
You are not so well cared for as I have been.
And never have known the passionate undivided
Fidelities that I knew.
Your minds are perhaps too active, too many-sided...
But to me you were true.
You were never masters, but friends. I was your friend.
I loved you well, and was loved. Deep love endures
To the end and far past the end. If this is my end,
I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am still yours.
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Beautifully put, Kenneth - condolences, and I hope you don't beat yourself up over what sounds like the most humane choice. I adopted a cat a couple of years ago, and unless I've become a cold, bitter slob when it's time for her to go I'm certain I'll be a wreck. The thought of dogs & cats I had growing up is enough to make me sad, until I remember how happy and content they were in their healthy days!
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
So sorry for your loss, Kenneth. Your posts on this thread and the earlier one are lovely and heartwrenching. I'm with PseudoD on this one, and like to think that our beloved pets who have passed on will be waiting for us in heaven some day. Love the photos! Was the snapshot with Ben Franklin taken at about 37th and Locust in Philadelphia by any chance?
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
(duplicate post)
Edited on Feb 11, 2011 at 10:34pmJan '11
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Dogs are from heaven. On their way back it reads God.
May '10
Re: Do Dogs go to Heaven?
Kenneth, I'm sure this is a very difficult time, but it was clearly a life well-lived. In the words of Queen Victoria about her beloved dog, "his attachment was without selfishness, his playfulness without malice, his fidelity without deceit. Reader, if you would live beloved and die regretted, profit by his example." Of course there's a special place in heaven for evangelists, particularly of the furry variety.
Edited on Feb 11, 2011 at 9:34pm