What happens to pets when they die?
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| ANSWER BY |
| Timothy J. Wengert |
Editor's note: Several readers asked similar questions, including "Is our pet in heaven?" and "Do animals, even scary ones like jaguars and tigers, go to heaven?"
I had a greyhound, Sandy Run, who died a short time ago. So if your pet has died, I think I know how sad you must be and how much you miss your pet.
Sometimes a person asks a very important question like yours. But people do not always know the answer. We do not know for sure what will happen to our pets and other animals after they die.
But we do know this: God never forgets anything or anyone. We know that when we die, we will be with Jesus because he loves us so much. And we know that God is love and will not want us to be sad when we are with Jesus.
So even though the Bible does not answer your question, I like to think that part of our happiness will include knowing all of our friends and relatives and also, just maybe, our dear pets. But we'll just have to leave that up to God to decide; God knows best. As to other animals like jaguars, we'll have to let God decide that too. At least we know that nothing can hurt us when we are with Jesus.
Your friend,
Tim Wengert
Tim,
How about using a quote from the great man himself?
"The dog is the most the faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. Our Lord God has made his greatest gift his commonest"
Martin Luther
Scripture tells us that God cares for the birds; then surely they are in heaven, as is every other animal! The lion and the lamb lay side by side. God created the universe; why would only mankind be "good enough" to enter into heaven?
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