Do our pets go to heaven? This is a question that has been debated for centuries, and there is really no 100% clear answer that we can point to from scripture. Some people believe that animals do not have souls and therefore cannot go to heaven, while others believe that they have some kind of soul and, therefore we may possibly be reunited with them in the afterlife.
There are many reasons why someone might think their pet will go to heaven, but there are also many reasons why they might not. Let’s take a look at both sides of the argument and try to come to a conclusion that is reasonable.
It is fairly clear that there will be animals in the new heaven. We can see from the prophet, Isaiah that lions, lambs, bears, cows, and other animals will be there and live in peace together. However, will those include your personal pets? The Bible isn’t conclusive about pets being in Heaven, but, on the other hand, it doesn’t say that they aren’t going to be there either.
Since heaven will be a place of total peace, joy, and pleasure, and knowing how much God loves us, certainly there is the possibility of our pets being in heaven. Although our primary hope for heaven is certainly not about seeing our pets, we can, however, look forward to the possibility that they may very well be there.
I’m not an expert in the theology of pets. I’m not an expert in anything having to do with pets. I just want us to use biblical texts that we do know, combine them with some personal reasoning, and see what answer we come up with. You may very well arrive at a different conclusion than I will.
Do Pets Go To Heaven? The Ongoing Debate
Will we see our pets in the afterlife? What is the chance that I will see them again? Is there any chance that we are going to be reunited with our beloved cat, dog, or other pet in heaven? There are people with quite different opinions about the topic “do pets go to heaven?”
There are so many people who lost their furry friends who want to know do pets go to heaven. I do! People who have lost close pets simply want to know that there is a chance that they might see their friend again. Some fervent students of the Bible take a pretty firm stand that you won’t necessarily see fluffy in heaven because they don’t have eternal souls. Some believe that pets just cease to exist when they die.
However, there are those who interpret passages of scripture in a way that lends itself to the idea that you may be reunited with Spot or Fluffy in the afterlife. I haven’t seen any solid biblical proof from anyone that would give me the confidence to say 100% either way, although I will give some evidence of my particular viewpoint in just a moment.
We do have a clear picture from the Bible that shows us that when the new heaven, the final heaven, actually takes place on Earth that there will be animals there. If we go back to the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament, this is what we are told about the new heaven:
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Isaiah 11:6-8
Of course, that passage doesn’t point out that we will be reunited with our pets we had during our earthly journey. However, it may point us toward a conclusion that gives us hope in seeing our beloved pets in the future.
Also, we have a passage about the end times when Jesus (called “Faithful” in the passage) comes forward riding on a white what? Yes, a white horse. Why would he be riding on a horse if there were no animals in the afterlife?
“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.“
Revelation 19:11
So, maybe that helps a bit, but let’s go further in our brief analysis and look at the role that pets have played in the life of humans, God’s ultimate creation.
Do Pets Go To Heaven? Look At Their Role On Earth
First of all, we need to recognize how much God loves us and know that His love is unconditional. He places persons, places, things, and animals in our lives for various purposes for our good and His pleasure. The primary reason a person asks the question, “do pets go to heaven” is because they have lost a pet at some time and they miss it dearly.
God understands human pain even more than we do. Even if some might think the pain from the loss of a pet is trivial. It is not trivial, and I don’t believe God sees it as trivial.
A few years ago our household lost two dogs within a short period of time. One had been with us for 17 years, the other 11 years. After the loss of those two little (fru-fru) dogs, I became more interested in the topic than I had in my earlier years. So, this is a question that means a lot to me.
And, I’m not at all negating cat owners or any other pet owners of other animals. You can be just as attached to your type of pet as I have been to dogs. I simply have had much more experience with dogs so my primary examples will be canine in nature.
But look how God gives many people blessings through dogs and how they serve us. There have been so many times my spirit was lifted after a hard day when the dog met me with a wagging tail greeting me excitedly because I was home. In that case, a pet can make you feel very loved and welcomed.
I remember times when I was upset, literally in tears about events that had occurred in my life. I’ve had dogs who would sense that, come to me, snuggle up to me, or get in my face as if he/she was trying to give me comfort. That’s because they were. They were upset at some instinctive level because they knew I was upset. They displayed a type of love, companionship, and definitely loyalty to me.
When they are gone we honor then in our memories and sometimes in other tangible ways.
Do Pets Go To Heaven? Uh… Do They Have a Soul?
I can hardly begin to speculate how the mind of a dog, or any other pet for that matter, works. The argument that a pet doesn’t have an eternal soul that can be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ has its merits. You can go to many places on the internet and read or hear that a pet doesn’t have a soul.
And, if intended to mean that they don’t have the spiritual dimension in the same terms as a human, I would agree. But, do those who teach that pets have no soul even define the term “soul” correctly? It could be, but I’m not so sure about that. Let’s look more closely.
Let’s define what a soul is. In my early and formative days of ministry, I was taught by some excellently trained teachers. I believe this theology is strong and I still adhere to the following belief. I was taught that every person has three parts – Spirit, Soul, and Body. This passage in 1 Thessalonians illustrates that.
“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.“ 1 Thessalonians 5:23
First, The Human Soul
So, let’s talk about our human soul for a moment before we try to make an assessment about the afterlife of a pet.
Let’s start with what we know about – the body. That one is obvious. We can see it visually. We can touch our bodies, and we can interact with other bodies. No argument there.
Okay, so how about the soul? Certainly, we see the Bible definitely tells us that we have a soul. However, what is the soul? Some people somewhat interchange the terms soul and spirit. However, that doesn’t seem to be the most accurate biblical answer.
But, the purpose of our time here isn’t to make a case for what the soul actually is. We can do that another time. But, basically, as many great teachers and students of the Bible have articulated it, I will say this:
“The human soul consists of the mind (your thinker), the will (your chooser), and your emotions (your feeler). “
That is what I was taught very early in the ministry and to this day I believe that it best describes the soul in an understandable way.
Now, lastly, but most importantly, we have a spirit. Man is born with a spirit. The problem is that, because of sin, we checked into planet earth with a dead spirit. As humans, we are to blame for that and can trace this unfortunate circumstance all the way back to the book of Genesis with the fall of man when Adam and Eve sinned, passing down the sin nature to the rest of us who’ve been born (with the exception of One).
That’s why I say we inherit a dead spirit or a spirit whose nature is sinful. However, as we trust Christ as Savior and are born again our spirit is made alive and we are brought into a right relationship with God. We are given the righteousness of Christ that we could never work to attain or earn in any way.
Okay, for humans there it is – body, soul, spirit.
Do Pets Go To Heaven? The Body, Soul, and Spirit Of a Pet
Let’s take that concept over to the pet world, and I will continue with the dog example. Does a dog have a body? Of course. You can pet it, hold it, feed it. etc. Your pets come in all shapes and sizes. They have all sorts of nice colors, coats, and display body parts of a living being that is alive and active. No debate there.
How About a Pet Soul?
Do our pets have souls? Remember, I’m operating with the theology that the soul is made of 3 parts – the mind, the will, and the emotions. So, does a pet qualify in those three areas?
The Mind of a Pet
The Mind– Does a dog have a mind? Sure seems like it to me. I think it would be silly to argue that it doesn’t. A pet doesn’t have the mind of a human, but it does have the degree of mind that God has chosen to give it. Sometimes we find that to be fairly remarkable the things we see our pets learn and do.
The Will of a Pet
The Will– If you do not think a pet has a will, try to keep an untrained dog from chasing a car, or another animal, or barking at someone when they come and ring the doorbell. Try to sneak some vitamins or medication into their food. Just try to get any pet to do something that they aren’t fond of doing and I think you’ll see that God has given them some sort of will (or chooser). It may not be formed like a human, but there is a will of some sort nonetheless. And lastly –
The Emotions of a Pet
The Emotions– My daughter purchased a dog that has lived with us for several years. It’s a small Yorkie and it is close to everyone in the house. However, if my daughter is gone away for a day, or especially if she is out of town for several days, the reunion that occurs when she arrives back home is amazing.
It’s like she has been out to sea for a couple of years and they are just being reunited. The little Yorkie is so excited, so thrilled, so filled with emotion that she has actually peed herself at times…. I mean…the dog.
She and the other dogs that we had were trained to understand words like “outside” or “go for a walk,” and plenty of other words and phrases we used. Upon hearing those phrases they understood what to do, how to respond to the command, and in some cases literally jump up and down in excitement when they heard a word they associated with an enjoyable activity.
Conversely, they understood the word “No.” If they were making a mess or doing something that was not acceptable and the word “no” was stated assertively, they might very well put themselves in a lowly posture when scolded by that word. Or, maybe from a gentle pop on the rear end with a rolled-up newspaper. So, how could we say that pets do not have emotions? I don’t think we can. We can easily say that pets have some degree of emotion.
Do Pets Go To Heaven? So…How About The Spirit of a Pet?
Okay, we really didn’t even question that a pet has a body. If you debate that, then you are living in a world that is different than most of us! I think we also have made a decent argument that a pet has a soul – its mind, will, and emotions.
So, that leads us to the most important question. Does my pet have a spirit? Could that be the determining factor in answering our question, do pets go to heaven?”
Well, in terms of the spirit that God breathed into man and has passed down from generation to generation, it would be hard to make that argument about our pets. Man is the one who God has labeled as standing condemned and in need of a Savior for the forgiveness of sins.
Sure, pets live and die in this world that can be harsh, cruel, and callous at times. So, they inherit the results of this fallen planet, but not necessarily a spirit that needs to be made alive or “born again.”
Let’s try to start wrapping this up and explaining what we think about this. First, let’s look at two more examples from scripture.
“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21
Can we interpret from this passage that not only men and women, but creation itself (which could include our pets) are liberated and made free from decay? I think it’s possible.
But I want to jump all the way to the end of the book, literally – to the book of The Revelation in the Bible where Jesus has set everything right and made “all things new.” This is a passage of several verses, but I think it can bring us a bit of peace and at least the possibility of a “yes” when we ask, “do pets go to heaven,”
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. Revelation 21:1-7
In this famous passage from the last book of the Bible, John, who had walked with and known Jesus very well, was given a glimpse into the future – the future of a follower of Christ. This is such an awe-inspiring passage that lines up with so many other truths in scripture.
However, look at the phrase, “Look, I am making all things new!” Could that not mean that He is including the beloved pets that he lovingly gave us for our pleasure on earth? And, if he gave us such loving experiences with our pets on earth, can you see a reason that he might not extend that into the new heaven and new earth?
Randy Alcorn wrote one of the greatest books about Heaven that I have ever seen. In his book, simply titled “Heaven”, Alcorn explains that scriptures like these could very possibly extend to animals such as pets. He writes in his book that “Horses, cats, dogs, deer, dolphins, squirrels – as well as the inanimate creation- will be beneficiaries of Christ’s death and resurrection.”
There may be a multitude of creatures in heaven that were on earth. Could there even be species of animals that are no longer on this earth? Dinosaurs, etc…? I don’t know. I hope so! But I do know that whatever animals will be in heaven will be peaceful and friendly.
I think that Randy Alcorn is at least in the neighborhood of the truth in terms of answering if you will be reunited with your pets in heaven. If you haven’t read it, I would highly suggest the book, “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn.
Conclusion and Opinion
I’m not sure we can ever definitively know the answer to our question, “do pets go to heaven” until we get there. The main this is to make sure you get there.
On a specific and personal basis, the loss of a pet that affected me the most was a little “fru-fru” type dog (I like to call them) that I didn’t even want when we first got it. It was a Maltipoo – which is called one of the “designer dogs”…whoopie… as ours was a mix of a Maltese and Miniature Poodle.
Although I was against the idea of that dog at first, in the 11 years of its life it became “my dog.” Yes, it was the other members of the family’s dog as well. However, it was the one that grew attached to me as I did very much to her. I loved that dog. I spend a lot of time with my laptop in my lap writing blog posts and other things. Sometimes she would lay so close to me that she put her little face on my laptop.
We even have that cute photo where I caught a photo of her paw laying on my Bible. I loved her a lot, was broken-hearted, and wept more tears than anyone knows in the weeks after we lost her a few years ago.
Also, my wife, Annette, had a dog who was really attached to her – “Chloe” was really close to my wife. That little poodle lived 17 years! Isn’t that 119 in human years? My wife was incredibly hurt when that dog passed just a few years ago
So, do I think I will see little Pearlie or Chloe in heaven? Or, can I say definitively say “yes” to the question “do our pets go to heaven?” Having been a minister of the Gospel and student of the scriptures for over 35 years, no, I can’t say definitively.
Scripture doesn’t nail that one down with a black and white answer. However, with the evidence that we do have, I personally think that there is a very good chance that we may be reunited with our furry friends.
After I see Jesus, my mom, and other friends and loved ones, I am looking forward to the possibility that I might see Miss Pearlie one day. And, if not – I know that God has prepared things so much better for her and that He would have already taken care of that sweet little dog and our other pets in a more loving way than we could imagine.
People talk about our pets “crossing the rainbow bridge” when they pass. That’s a cute term and I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s a cute, man-made phrase that isn’t found in scripture. I think that whatever God decides to do with our beloved pets after their death is loving, merciful, just, and peaceful – whatever we call it.
Maybe you believe differently, and that’s okay. Issues like these are ones that should not divide us. If you have lost a pet, I know how bad it can feel. More importantly, God knows how you feel. He made you and understands you and your emotions intimately.
In primary issues on which the word of God speaks clearly, we need to stand firm. In matters like this where the answers aren’t so clear, we can at least rest assured of this:
God’s plan for His children is always greater and more full of love and compassion than anything for which we could ever ask or think.
Leave a Reply