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The Big Question: Do Animals Go to Heaven?

Will we see our pets in heaven? Read on for musings on the question every pet owner has pondered.

Animals bring such joy to our lives. As the poet Anatole France once said, “Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Of course, the hardest part of having a pet is saying goodbye. When they die, where do our beloved companions go? Are they gone forever, or are they waiting for us, tail wagging, in the next life? Will we see our pets in heaven? Read on for musings on the question every pet owner has pondered.

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Niki Behrikis Shanahan, author of Who Says Animals Go to Heaven?

“Spiritual and physical death did not occur until the fall, which included all of the animals. With the introduction of sin, everything changed for mankind as well as the animals. Therefore, it is evident that they are intimately tied to man’s fate. Throughout the Bible, animals are included in the fate of mankind, whether covenant or curse. This includes the resurrection and eternal life.”


A corgi with its owner; Getty Images
Credit: fotografixx (fotografixx (Photographer) - [None]

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Billy Graham

“God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.”

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A golden retriever; Getty Images
Credit: Gorodenkoff Productions OU (Gorodenkoff Productions OU (Photographer) - [None]

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Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson, author of All Dogs Go to Heaven

“I believe it’s no coincidence that God created animals first and humans last. I believe God created dogs to be our companions when we are lonely, to love us when no one else will, to be the bearer of unconditional forgiveness and second chances when the world has given up on us. God created them to provide us examples of our better selves. Yes, I believe all dogs go to heaven. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.’”


Ants working together; Getty Images
Credit: lirtlon

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Dr. Peter M. Kurowski, author of Animals in Heaven, Pets in Paradise

“Pets in paradise? Sure sounds like it, if we pay careful attention to God’s subtle but clear word. All creation, the creation, this created world, except for demons and unbelievers, is lining up for His love.”


A close up of a cat's eye; Getty Images
Credit: darkbird77

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Ecclesiastes 3:19–21

“Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

A bald eagle flying over mountains; Getty Images
Credit: Wenbin photo (Wenbin photo (Photographer) - [None]

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Pope Paul VI

 “One day we will again see our animals in the eternity of Christ.”

Rabbit and owner; Getty Images

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Pam Brown, author

“If there is a heaven, it’s certain our animals are to be there. Their lives become so interwoven with our own, it would take more than an archangel to detangle them.”

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