“Puppy Love”

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

     A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided to put our twelve-year-old boxer to sleep.  He went through a few months of suffering through inexplicable seizures and had apparently suffered brain damage.  He had been in my life over six years.  A week and a half ago, my fifteen-year-old cat died.  The vet told me she had pancreatitis.  She wasn't sick very long, but you could tell she was not well, and I knew in my heart she wouldn't be with me much longer.  She was a very important part of my twenty-seven years here.  I'm having a very difficult time dealing with it all.  I think they will both be in heaven, and a lot of my friends agree. Is there something in the Bible that verifies (or disproves) this?

Sincerely,
Mourning

Dear Mourning,

Dogs and cats don’t go to heaven, but we can really sympathize with your loss.  One of our AYP writers still has pictures of his hunting dogs up in his office, and another is deeply attached to his family dog.  Animals are a blessing from God (Gen 1:26).  Animals have the “breath of life” just like humans do (Gen 2:7, Gen 6:17).  This “breath of life” is also sometimes referred to as the “spirit” of a man or animal (Gen 7:22).  Animals have spirits, and humans have spirits, but humans were also made in the image of God (Gen 1:26).  Our spirits are eternal and will go up to be with the Father, and animal spirits are temporary and will return to the dust of the earth (Eccl 3:21).  God made our spirit of a different caliber than He made those of the animal.  This can feel like a very harsh truth after losing beloved family pets, but we can feel confident that God has decided wisely on this issue like all others.  We may not always understand His reasons, but He always makes good decisions. We are so sorry for your loss, but we want you to know that God comforts us through all our sorrow… and He will bring you through this loss (2 Cor 13:11).

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