Dogs

Tough Questions Kids Ask

March 2006: Do Dogs Go to Heaven?

According to Randy Alcorn's article "Do Dogs Go to Heaven?" which appeared in the Summer 2005 issue of Christian Parenting Today magazine, the Bible doesn't specifically state that dogs or other pets go to Heaven. However, Romans 8:21-23 suggests that animals are present in God's Kingdom. More importantly, the article points out that God delights in heaping blessings upon His children. James 1:17 also reminds us of God's generous nature, stating "Every good and perfect gift is from above." God's reuniting us with our pets in Heaven therefore wouldn't come as a surprise.

Reinforcing these ideas, Pastor Fred cites Psalm 84:3: "The sparrow herself finds a home and the swallow a nest for her brood; she lays her young by your altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God."

Reasoning that since "God delights to have a sparrow's home at His altar," he asks, "Why wouldn't He delight in the bark of a dog and the meow of a cat?" He concludes that God takes joy in everything He makes and affirms that nothing will be lost from His creation. He also points out that Heaven will be full of surprises, but not negative ones. Instead, "the surprises there will be of intensification, immensity, imagination, bigness, glory, beauty, and joy."