Do dogs, pets go to heaven?

I adopted a puppy nine yeas ago. She is half poodle and half dachshund. She looks like a black dachshund, but she has hair that never sheds and has to be groomed.

She is my buddy and faithful companion. At night, she snuggles between my husband and myself and somehow that is very comforting to me.

Several weeks ago, my little hound started coughing. I thought she must have come across a virus somewhere. Maybe she had kennel cough.

So off to the vet we went. I was fully expecting a round of antibiotics and the problem would fixed.

The first clue that everything was not well came when the vet listened to my dog’s heart for a full five minutes. Then she said we needed a chest X-ray.

When the vet came back with the image, even I could see that my little buddy’s heart was huge. It was three times bigger than it should have been.

It was explained to me that my little dog was in heart failure. Medication was prescribed but the outlook isn’t all that great. It makes me very sad.

I have had many animals over the years, and each one has meant something special to me. I loved them hard when they were here and missed them terribly when they were gone.

I personally hope I see them in heaven.

The question of animals going to heaven is one that sparks controversy. The Bible itself isn’t real clear on the subject, and that leaves Christians to speculate based on their interpretations.

Some people say that animals can’t go to heaven because they are not “saved.”

Only humans are capable of consciously sinning. So maybe we are the only ones who need to be saved. Animals might get in free.

God blessed the animals. So why wouldn’t they be allowed in His kingdom? If heaven wouldn’t be heaven for you without a pet, surely God would allow you to have one.

Billy Graham says it like this, “It may be that God’s purpose for animals is fulfilled on this earth. However, if animals would make us happier in heaven, surely there will be a place for them there.”

I totally agree with that statement. God is loving and wants what is best for us. I can’t see this loving God denying us the companionship of our pets. It would go against God’s nature.

In truth, I don’t know for sure if animals go to heaven. It is one of those things that I will have to wait and see about, but I do know my God and He is kind and compassionate and always there for us.