Where Do Dogs Go When They Die? Do Dogs Go to Heaven?
It’s not entirely clear where dogs go when they die but according to many cultures, they may enter heaven.
Our dogs going to heaven is a comforting thought for many dog owners.
When most people think about heaven, they imagine a world above the clouds that spreads vast across the sky.
The question if heaven exists or not is a question of belief.
The “afterlife” heaven actually refers to anything beyond the earth including air and space.
In the Christian religion, heaven is defined as “a place where God dwells”, an eternal state of being without pain or sickness.
If you accept the logic of this concept, why wouldn’t dogs or animals, in general, go to heaven?
They’re certainly less sinful than we humans are and the fact that they’re alive, have feelings, aspirations, and more should speak for the fact they too should be allowed to enter heaven if indeed such a place exists.
Dogs are likely not ruminating over something like whether they go to heaven or not, they just exist in the here and now.
Dogs live in this moment. Right now. So perhaps our obsession with the future and afterlife is not an advantage but rather a hindrance.
Furthermore, we have to discuss the question of whether or not souls can even enter heaven.
The Greeks had believed in the idea of the immortality of the soul. Even if the body dies, the soul will not and will be faced with an ultimate fate.
This could either be eternal bliss or torment.
On the other hand, ancient Jews were certain that the soul could not exist apart from the body. It was more like a “breath”.
This notion came from the biblical verse “The first human God created, Adam, began as a lump of clay; then God “breathed” life into him. (Genesis 2: 7)”
Once we have taken our last breath, it goes nowhere. It just stops. About two hundred years before Jesus was born, Jews began to change their thesis.
They adapted to the idea that there must come some kind of judgment after death and if that would be true, our dogs would definitely score well.
Where Does My Dog’s Soul Go When He Dies?
Especially for children, the question of where dogs go when they die can keep them awake at night.
One minute the family dog is here, and the other he’s gone. Illness, old age, accidents – whatever the reason, coping with the loss of a family pet is hard for children and anyone involved.
Even if parents themselves don’t adopt the heaven concept or even the concept that a soul goes somewhere after the being dies, they often tell their kids “the dog crossed the rainbow bridge”.
What exactly is the rainbow bridge? Who invented it?
Certainly not dogs because I’ve seen my dog check out rainbows and while animals understand nature on a profound level and respect it, they do not consciously acknowledge beauty.
Then again, not all humans find the thought of a rainbow bridge comforting. The general consensus is that it’s a warm and fuzzy feeling.
All that energy that’s bundled up inside your family dog has to go somewhere right? Physics lays it out right there.
Energy can be converted in form, but not created or destroyed.
So perhaps a dog’s soul really is going somewhere? Whether it’s just lingering in the air or going to a certain place, you have to decide for yourself.
Research has proven that dogs definitely have feelings.
We humans often anthropomorphize dogs to the extent that we give them human attributes.
Puppy poops onto your hardwood floor even though you’re sure he’s been potty-trained? Must be spiteful behavior right? Science says no.
A dog takes revenge for what you did to him weeks ago. Vengeance, right? Wrong.
But dogs do have basic feelings, it’s just that they have a more limited range and usually don’t adapt as well as humans can.
Dogs even have a sense of fairness, so make sure to treat your pooch fairly or he’ll get back at you (only applies to something like punishment that happens immediately).
I actually have an article on what range of emotions dogs can feel and what they cannot feel.
Dogs can even sense sadness in use which is an awesome thing for humans using canines as certain service dogs.
Dogs behave differently right before they die, they might prefer to be alone or just behave strangely or surprisingly upbeat.
How exactly dogs know this or what gives it away to them isn’t clear, but what’s clear is that all animals are far closer to nature than we humans are.
That’s not to say that humans can’t also think they’re feeling their “spirit” leave their body, but it often happens quite late in life while dogs seem connected throughout their whole time on earth.
So whether or not your dog has a soul (or whether or not you have one yourself); dogs are loyal, loving beings with feelings and should be treated accordingly.
“Do dogs have souls? And will my dog go to heaven?”
Recently I was asked “Do dogs have souls? And will my dog do to heaven?” How can we answer this? We all want to believe our beloved pet will go to heaven. We have all reached out and tried to comfort many of our friends assuring them that their recent loss would be waiting at the rainbow for them. I spent an afternoon searching for some answers. I found there has been many attempts to answer this question. I read everything from a wide perspective from professionals such as veterinarians, dog breeders, even a spiritual Psychologist; and then settled into several readings from religious theologians and writers from Catholic, Jewish and Christian points of view. You want to know what I found out? Dogs have a midbrain (the section where emotions occur) very similar, both structurally and functionally, to that of humans. Studies show, and dog lovers know, that canines have the intellectual level of a child between one and four. They experience and exhibit attachment and bonding (or lack thereof), joy, contentment, security, fear, anxiety, jealousy, loneliness, depression, abandonment (separation anxiety) and learned helplessness. Dogs will sacrifice their lives for their beloved masters, and often die from grief if the human dies first. A dog has the ability to balance the mood of the human being. For example, when people are sad or depressed, the dog helps them become happier; when people are anxious, agitated or angry, the dog calms them down. It’s been said, “Animals have a way of filling spaces inside us we never knew were empty.”
Numerous studies in Spiritual Psychology …shows that dogs do indeed have souls, and once a dog bonds to a human, its soul attaches to the human’s soul and upon death, goes where the human soul goes. Indeed, thousands of people who have had a Near Death Experience (NDE) report being greeted in the Next Life by their beloved pets who have already crossed. Christians wonder, does a pet’s emotions and ability to relate to human beings mean that animals possess an immortal spirit that will survive after death? Theologians say no. They point out that man was created superior to animals and that animals can’t be equal with him. Then God said, “Let us make man in our , in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26, NIV) They imply that animals may have the “breath of life,” but not an immortal soul in the same sense as man’s. “Man is made in God’s , so man must not kill one of his own kind. Animals, it would seem, are different from man. If they do have a “soul” that survives death, it is different from man’s. It does not need redemption. Christ died to save the souls of human beings, not animals.” However further reading does indicate animals in heaven. Does this mean they are our pets too or newly created just for heaven? I have no answer, maybe both. Even so, the prophet Isaiah says God will include animals in the new heavens and a new earth: “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.” (Isaiah 65: 25, NIV) In the last book of the Bible, Revelations, the Apostle John’s vision of heaven also included animals, showing Christ and the armies of heaven “riding on white horses.” (Revelation 19:14, NIV) The Bible does not give a definitive answer on the question of whether we will see our pets in heaven, but it does say, “… with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, NIV) “God, in his great love and wisdom has created heaven to be a place of perfect happiness. I am sure that if you need your little dog to complete your happiness, you will find her there.” Ecclesiastes 3:19: “After all, the same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either.” Eccl 3:20: “They are both going to the same place—the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it.” Eccl 3:21: “How can anyone be sure that the human spirit goes upward while an animals spirit goes down into the ground?”
One Catholic website puts it this way: The soul is the principle of life. Since animals and plants are living things, they have souls, but not in the sense in which human beings have souls. Our souls are rational–theirs arent–and ours are rational because theyre spiritual, not material. Animal and vegetable souls are dependent entirely on matter for their operation and being. They cease to exist at death. (Theres no “doggie heaven.”) Human souls, by contrast, arent material. Theyre spiritual. Only a spirit can know and love; a spirits two chief faculties being the intellect (which knows) and the will (which loves). We know human souls are spiritual since humans can know and love. 
Isa 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpents food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. NIV I have no doubt that our loving heavenly Father can resurrect our pets and make them part of our happiness in heaven. However, the Bible does not give any references to this, as the Bible was written for the salvation of mankind. (After all, something written for animals wouldnt do a lot of good when the animals cant read!!) Psalm 145: -9-10,13,15-21 God loves all His creation and has made plans for all His children and the lesser creatures to enjoy His Eternal Kingdom. Romans 8:19 says that the lesser creatures await Christs return to redeem the sons of God so they too will be released from physical death to eternal life.
Another site states in their opinion: “All things have a soul, even the trees of the field have a soul toward their Maker. God made all of the birds, the cats and the dogs and I believe they have a soul. Animals are able to understand commands and love. They often crave love. They would not understand love if they had no soul.” What makes man different from the animals is not that he has a soul, but that he is made in the of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9 is interpreted to mean that heaven is a place of happiness beyond imagination. I believe that God finds a way for us to enjoy the presence of both our saved loved ones and our departed animal friends.
One of the Jewish sites had this to say: All living things – human and animal – have souls; however, not all souls are created equal. Humans also have a divine, spiritual soul. Only this soul has the ability to forge a relationship with the Divine, transcendent dimension of existence Perhaps God may allow our beloved pets to be with us in heaven. Or He may choose to create a new pet for you. We must be willing to allow God to order things as He sees bestThere is where we will leave it. We just do not know all the mysteries. In all things, we will just have to trust God and have faith. Either way, just be happy for the time you have with your dog on earth. No one can take that away from you. It is written in the Bible that “God exists not only in man, but in everything that lives.”
SOURCES: bellaspark.com_do-dogs-have-souls/ catholic.com_do-animals-have-souls-like-human-beings religiondispatches.org_dogs-of-life dreamshore.net Pope. CATHOLIC
Edited by: Jan Mitchell