Pets and the Afterlife

Is there life after life for the pets we love and who pass on?

Is there a heaven for our pets? Where do they go when they die? How do we know they are all right?

These are the questions that vex our souls. These are the questions I'm asked, often through the tears of the heartbroken.

We can take comfort in a moment between Pope Francis and a young boy who was weeping in a corner during a papal visit.

Pope Francis reached out to him and asked why he was crying.

The child, through his sobs, said his puppy had just died.

Pope Francis paused and said you will see him again. The pontiff comforted the grieving boy by reassuring him that his beloved pet was not lost forever. He told him that God’s heart is big enough for all creatures and that animals, too, are held in God’s love. And he will see his dog again in heaven."

In telling the child this, Pope Francis offered a simple but powerful message: the love we share with animals is real, and it is not forgotten. And if there is a heaven for humans, there is a heaven for animals since all are God's creations.

(It’s worth noting that exact wording varies in retellings, but the spirit of his response was one of compassion, inclusion, and hope.)

Ultimately, It all has to do with what one believes deep down about death. What applies to humans and their spirits and soul applies equally to our animals.

If one believes death is the absolute end of life. Period. Then it is so for people and pets.

But as an animal chaplain and pastor, I say this: the great and total love we give our animals, our beloved pets, and the total and great love they give us, do not end with death.

The love lives on in them and in us.We carry them in our hearts forever.

They do reach out to us, and we need to learn how to be still and receive what they are telling us.

Is “forever love” heaven? is “forever love” a hereafter?

Yes, I believe so.

It does not lessen the deep pain. Nor stop the longing to hold and feel them again.

But what a comfort to know they are alive still! They are just in a different form.

Amen.

Animal Talks (animaltalksinc.com) is a nonprofit whose mission is to help those grieving the loss of a beloved animal friend-or any loss actually. Animal Talks offers workshops, pet grief certification classes and regular healing circles for group support. Contact thembela@animaltalksinc.com, kaitlyn@animaltalksinc.com or kaleel@animaltalksinc.com with questions or inquiries.