What does God do with dogs after they die????

[DuckLady]

This is really long, but in typing it, I feel the message was only conveyed in the entire text from this scene.

This is an excerpt from James Herriot’s Dog Stories
Chapter 8
The Card Over The Bed

Then the head on the pillow turned to me again. “I have only one fear.” Her expression changed with startling suddenness as if a mask had dropped. The brave face was almost unrecognisable. A kind of terror flickered in her eyes and she quickly grasped my hand.

“It’s my dogs and cats, Mr. Herriot. I’m afraid I might never see them when I’m gone and it worries me so. You see, I know I’ll be reunited with my parents and my brothers, but…but…”

“Well, why not with your animals?”

“That’s just it.” She rocked her head on the pillow and for the first time I saw tears on her cheeks. “They say animals have no souls.”

“Who says?”

“Oh, I’ve read it and I know a lot of religious people believe it.”

“Well, I don’t believe it. I patted the hand which still grasped mine. If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. You’ve nothing to worry about there.”

“Oh I hope you’re right. Sometimes I lie at night thinking about it.”

“I know I’m right, Miss Stubbs and don’t you argue with me. They teach us vets all about animals’ souls.”
The tension left her face and she laughed with a return of her old spirit. “I’m sorry to bore you with all this and I’m not going to talk about it again. But before you go, I want you to be absolutely honest with me. I don’t want reassurance from you- just the truth. I know you are very young but what are your beliefs? Will my animals go with me?”
She stared intently into my eyes. I shifted in my chair and swallowed once or twice.

“Miss Stubbs, I ‘m afraid I m a bit foggy about all this, “ I said. “Wherever you are going, they are going with you.”
She still stared at me but her face was calm again. “Thank you Mr. Herriot. I know you are being hones with me. That is what you really believe, isn’t it?”
“I do believe it,” I said. “With all my heart I believe it.”

 

[lurky]

There is a place in St Johnsbury VT called Dog Mt.
This is where my heart left my dog Andy that we lost in 2003.
I live only a few hours away, so i was able to drive there and put his picture on the wall myself, but if you send a photo of your dog, they will put it up for you. There are thousands of photos covering the walls and its so beautiful.

http://www.dogmt.com/chapel.php

 

[Beekissed]

Somewhere in the Bible it says the Earth and the creatures of the Earth will groan for His coming. God created humans and the creatures of the Earth with such care and precision and I feel He knows each and every creature intimately. I think He will welcome each of his creations with open arms just like He will me. I know that, when I reach the other side, my good dog, Jimmy, will be waiting at the gate, looking for me too! We may die, animals may die....the love we shared, the communion we shared...well, it never dies.

 

[wannabechickraiser]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Since you are a Christian I thought it would be more meaningful to you to see how God answers that question than anyone elses opinion. This is what the Bible says on the subject. Please feel free to look up these scriptures in your own copy of the Bible. In Genesis 2:17 God warned Adam that the consequence of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and bad was death. How did Adam know about death? Because he saw the animals die. In Genesis 3:19 God explained what happens to us when we die. "For dust you are and to dust you will return." Ecclesiastes 3:19 says "For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies and they all have but one spirit so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast." Ecclesiastes 9:5 "The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all." In John 11:11-14 Jesus compared death to sleep. We are not aware of anything, not suffering. We would have no hope of living again if not for our putting faith in Jesus' ransom as Jesus explained in John 11:23-25. When we die we return to dust as the animals do. We all love and enjoy our animals that's why God created all the life we have here on earth. Our hope is to live forever here on earth with the animals. The animals will continue to die since they were never created to live forever. Otherwise we would miss out on the fun of having baby animals, with the earth filled to capacity with animals living forever.

I hope this helps you to keep searching the scriptures for answers. Again I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Guitartists]

Well, I can contribute my own personal beliefs, however they do not conform to any religion.....

I believe that all life is created from energy and that any soul or energy no longer having a purpose returns to the source. So, yes, I believe it is "recycled". But, I also believe that animals have just as much ability as humans to remain an entity after death and re-incarnate or become guardians.

Just my opinion

 

[Sonia]

I hold this in my heart.


Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

 

[NoSpringChick]

I am a Christian and I've learned that "God is Love" and boy do I feel "love" from my pets.....much more than some Christian friends I have. God will take care of the love we feel somehow, even though we don't know all the specifics of how it works out, somehow I have to believe that I will exist with that love when I'm in my mansion (on the beach) in heaven!

God Bless you for your sweetness and love for you animal...God sees and knows every tear you shed and understands your love for that animal.

p.s. When I had my Abigail put down, she dropped in my arms in a second (wasn't expecting that)....I went home, buried her crying the whole time and didn't stop crying for over two months every day! Tears are still running down my face when I think of her faithful love!

 

[MiniDriver]

The Rainbow Bridge makes me cry every time I think about it.

I agree with NoSpringChick - God is love and I love my animals, so my animals are always with me and always will be.

 

[GwenFarms]

My pastor told our son once that if it takes having your dog in heaven to make you happy, he will be there. He went on to tell us what has been said here, that no where in the Bible does it say animals do not pass on to heaven.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I believe that they go to Heaven, whether it's the Christian Heaven, The Keltic Summerlands or just over the Rainbow Bridge...but wherever I go, it won't be Heaven unless my animals are there.

I don't remember where *I* read that some one of the Churches said that animals had no souls, but I do know how PO'd I was at that form of a superiority complex...

Im so sorry for your loss...

Here's why I believe that animals have souls...
My first two chickens were Tom and Jerry...They came home with me for good in June of 03. On August 8th, 03, Tom was killed by a raccoon...I was horrified that I let her get killed. Jerry was heartbroken and sat and cried under my dining room table, so I had to get him some friends. I brought home Slifer and Obelisk. A couple of weeks after they came, I had the baby monitor on and I was listening...because now I was paranoid about that darned raccoon. I wasn't asleep so I wasn't dreaming, but I heard Tom singing, the way that she did when she was alive...I knew that she was dead. I had the honour of shovelling her body into a bag...I ran downstairs and outside and there was that raccoon trying to get in the coop...I chased him off and got my babies back in the house. Tom had saved her buddies that she had never even known.

Then when I lost Slifer to a bumblefoot infection on August 8, 06, I was devastated...It didn't help that some troll emailed me and said that I killed her and it was all my fault that I hadn't taken her to the vet, etc...I cried and cried and cried for almost a month. One night, Slifer came back...I talked to her and petted her and she told me how much she loved me and that it was time for me to get over her loss. She was only supposed to be here for a while...and that her time was at an end...I woke up seeing her standing by my fish tank and I could feel the stubs of the broken off tail feathers that she had...

Those two stories PROVE to ME that animals have souls.