Some say animals don’t go to heaven because they don’t have souls like humans made in God’s image do.
Common questions about our pets we have loved include will they be in heaven with us? Will my pet be happy to see me? What will my pet be like? Will he be what I remember him being here? Will we have the same relationship?
First of all, Scripture is largely silent on this. It does mention animals occasionally. For example, Isaiah 11:1 mentions “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit,” which seems to refer to the New Jerusalem and may imply heaven. Then it says in 11:6-7 “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.” This sounds like heaven to me. Later I will write a blog about eating in heaven. Anyway, this is about the Bible’s extent of talking about animals as we know them in heaven.
However from eyewitnesses we get a more complete picture. Dr. Gary Wood said he saw “children petting lions like they were harmless kittens.” Richard Siegmund “saw [children] riding horses. The horses loved it, and they loved the children.” Eben Alexander saw dogs that seemed like pets. Kat Kerr saw several of her family’s former pets, including her dog Molly who used to run around the house with the mail. He was running down a golden street chasing an angel dressed like a postman. On December 11, 1993, the Tulsa World ran an article about a three-year-old boy who said there are lots of puppies in heaven. When he opened his eyes, he told his mommy he wanted to go to heaven. He said he saw Jesus and the puppies, and he and Jesus played together with the puppies in heaven. In my book there are more stories like these. People have seen horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, deer, foxes, turtles, lions, kangaroos, birds, swans, butterflies, and dragonflies, some of which may have been pets. One person even said she saw extinct animals including dinosaurs.
One person saw people interacting with dogs. One person saw lots of dogs and cats, who liked to run through heaven and be with the people whom they have loved and who have loved them. Another said any creature that had the capacity to love and return joy to you will be there to greet you and continue the love relationship. So there is very strong evidence that pets are indeed in heaven, enjoying what they enjoyed here, and enjoying being pleasing to their former masters again. One person reported that the horses and the children could communicate with each other since communication is by thought and spirit, not voice. So the horses’ spirits could communicate with the spirits of the children who were riding them. You will be able to communicate with your dog or cat or other pet in ways you never could here.
Rejoice! God’s love extends to your pet and to your relationship with your pet also. You can’t fathom the extent of God’s love.