Do Dogs Go To Heaven?

What happens when a beloved dog dies? Spending a lifetime on Earth giving- giving love, giving service, giving their everything to and for others, if a dog doesn’t get an automatic pass into heaven, there’s probably little hope there’ll be space for us humans.

Or perhaps dogs are angels sent from heaven. This could explain why their visits are fleeting, almost always too short, before they spread their wings and fly back to heaven to wait for us, or maybe they are called to serve another human who needs the special, unconditional kind of love that only a dog can give.

But heaven is a relative concept, and there are vastly different views on whether dogs do go to heaven. Given that heaven is a religious notion, let’s look at what several of the major religions say about the proverbial dust in the wind, in order of how old each religion is.

How Religions See Dogs Going To Heaven

Jewish Views On Dogs Going To Heaven

The Jewish sages say that only truly righteous souls ascend straight to the Garden of Eden, but the average person descends to a place of punishment. The average dog, those who are not ill-treated or abused, leading to behavioral problems, surely lives a righteous life, especially if this is measured against Ecclesiastes 11 in which G-d allows the righteous time to repent, attaining his full measure of good deeds before He sends death. Yet Jewish tradition has not been very clear on this question.

The Torah, which refers to the Five Books of Moses, commands us to sacrifice innocent animals as an act of worship, indicating that G-d has ordained matters in such a way that an animal’s time on earth before its sacrificial slaughter is the metaphysical equivalent of the natural life-span of a human. In theory then, if humans can go to heaven, it seems that dogs, cats, and everyone else who was aboard Noah’s Arc can too.

Written many centuries later, the Talmud, a record of the rabbinic debates based on the teachings of the Torah, contained a line reflecting that "the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deprive any creature of any reward due to it." Through the way they live, many dogs have surely earned their reward. And we know how much dogs love rewards!

Rabbis disagree on the question of dogs in heaven, but many Jews believe that it is through the soul that we become far more than just dirt and earth, dust in the wind. Our souls become living creatures, and many of those souls, who practice Judaism, say the Mourners Kaddish (an ancient Jewish prayer, for the soul of the deceased ) for the souls of their beloved pets who passed. Not just dust, but a soul, there’s hope that dogs do go into the next life.

Buddhist Views On Dogs Going to Heaven

Animals, like humans, are seen in Buddhism as sentient beings, each life form being a soul and each being interchangeable. As humans can be reborn as animals, so animals can be reborn as humans making humans and animals all interconnected.

Buddhist beliefs extend to the “bardo”, or waiting period between a soul’s different lives. Spending 49 days in the bardo, the spirit will then reincarnate into its next life on earth. The Tibetan Book of the Dead, originally intended to be read for all 49 days as a funery, explains the entire process, from death over seven phases each lasting a week as the soul passes through the six bardos.

As the body- human or canine, decomposes, turning into dust, the soul eventually emerges to take the lessons learned into its next life.

Christian Views On Dogs Going To Heaven

While many Christians would disagree, the Catholic Franciscan magazine gives a definitive “No” when it comes to animals being in heaven. But there are Bible verses that indicate that dogs may, indeed, go to heaven:

These verses also appear in the Jewish Tanakh (which contains the same books as the Christian Old Testament in the Bible), but the question gets a lot murkier when it comes to faith and salvation. Although there are philosophical and theological arguments to be made over how to get into heaven, there's a wikiHow that explains that there are two methods to get into heaven from a Christian standpoint:

Learning the Basics of Salvation by
1. Believing that Jesus is the son of God.
2. Accepting that Jesus Christ is your savior and that he is the only path to Heaven.
3. Inviting Jesus into your life through the prayer of salvation (see below).
4. Getting baptized.

Saying the Prayer of Salvation by
1. When you’re ready to commit your life to Christ., pray
2. Admit that you have sinned before starting the prayer.
3. Ask for God’s forgiveness after repenting for your sins.
4. Pledging to follow Jesus forever after.

It would be difficult to imagine a dog doing all these things (or even googling to find out), but Ecclesiastes 3 seems clear on the dust part, and anyone who has seen a remorseful dog caught being naughty will not doubt that dogs definitely repent their sins. They are masters of remorse. Until, of course, the temptation arises again, but perhaps that's how they teach us about forgiveness.

Click Living is for dying: Does Dying Give Life Meaning?

Muslim Views On Dogs Going to Heaven

Similarly to the other mainstream religions, a first glance at Islamic scriptures appears to indicate that the souls of animals don't carry on into the afterlife. However, when it comes to animals and our relationships with them, Islam has much to say. Unlike humans who are judged for their good and bad deeds, animals are seen as creatures deemed to be in a state of constant worship and will turn to dust when they die.

A distinction is made between domestic dogs and their feral cousins, for example, the Qur'an allows the use of hunting dogs, as long as these dogs are domesticated. As Muslims can eat game caught in a hunting, but domesticated, dog's mouth, the saliva of a domesticated dog cannot be regarded as impure. Still, opinions differ, but there are indications that In Islam, there may be a space reserved for the family’s dogs in Jannah (meaning "paradise, garden"), which is the final abode of the righteous, a.k.a. heaven in other contexts.

So perhaps Muslims may have hope of joining their dogs one day, both in the form of dust, in Jannah.

Kabbalistic Views On Dogs Going To Heaven

According to most kabbalists, all living things- human and animal, have souls, but not all souls are created equal. Each soul has two aspects according to Genesis 2:7:

The nefesh or animal soul: The life force of the soul, its animalistic, instinctual drives.
The neshama: Purely spiritual, seen as a divine spark that distinguishes man from beast. The neshama is that part of us yearning for spirituality and a closer relationship with God.

But in humans, another spiritual entity exists, a much higher one that is very different. This divine, spiritual soul can forge a relationship with the Divine, and in doing so transcends the dimensions of existence.

Yet the Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah and core writings referred to in Jewish mysticism, according to Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572), known as the Arizal (who is generally considered the final arbiter for all Kabbalistic teachings), indicates that animals not only have independent souls, but they also go to heaven. Texts from the Zohar include:

Members of the Hassidic faith, adherents of the Kabbalah, believe in the doctrine of gilgul, which is broadly the reincarnation or transmigration of souls. The doctrine explains that people who are not quite ready to be admitted to Paradise are sent back into the world where they remain until they have repaired their spiritual state.

Rising through the stages of inanimate objects, plants, and animals before being allowed to resume their human status, the souls of sinners reach the penultimate stage of spiritual ascent when they become kosher animals (for example sheep and cattle). But dogs are not seen as kosher animals, perhaps having many lessons to learn before overcoming flaws that prevent their soul from achieving final restoration.

Nine days after a soul’s time on earth is over, the body of the deceased turns to dust, and the soul leaves to meet. the Creator.

The Rainbow Bridge

Written in 1959 by the then 19-year-old Edna Clyne-Rekhy who lived in Inverness, Scotland, in 1959, the poem, “The Rainbow Bridge” was penned by her when her Labrador Retriever, Major, died. Just as the rest of us do on experiencing the heavy loss at the passing of a pet, Edna truly understands, that the one who lives with us is a piece of us.

In the pain of her dog’s passing, Edna felt compelled to write, and picked up a notebook nearby, furiously penning her heart-warming poem by hand. She envisioned a sort of limbo where deceased pets are returned to their most hale and hearty form, cavorting in an Elysian setting in newfound youth.

Where they land is not quite heaven, but a place nearby, a way station where the animal’s soul or spirit eagerly awaits the arrival of its earthly human companion. When they are reunited, both cross the Bridge together, achieving true and eternal paradise in each other’s company, never again to be parted. Not ascribing to any particular faith, the Rainbow Bridge is a clearly expressed path for us to reunite with our pets in the afterlife, giving hope where a person may previously have believed there was none.

Edna’s words were real, appearing on the pages of the notebook because of her compulsion to write, lost in the warm feeling that her departed pet was directing her hand. When asked what she recommends when a pet dies, her response was- get another pet.

dogs love their owners as much as they are loved

A relationship with any new pet will never be the same as with the old one, but it can be equally loving and special, albeit different. There’s no reason to deprive yourself or another animal of that love, and it’s most likely that your previous pet certainly wouldn’t have wanted you to live without love.

What To Do If I Miss My Dog?

Love is the best word to bear in mind when thinking about your departed dog. But if you find yourself struggling with grief the Humane Society suggests that ruminating on your pet's final days or moments, especially if they were traumatic, are not the best course of action. Instead of replaying your last moments with your pet, focus on your favorite memories and the life you shared with your pet. Don't forget that your pet's pain has passed, and even if yours hasn’t, it will eventually recede.

Coping With Grief When Your Dog Dies

An intensely personal experience, grief can be debilitating, but it’s not necessary to face your loss alone. Coping suggestions include:

Allow yourself to cry: Acknowledge your grief, and give yourself permission to express it rather than suppressing feelings of sadness that can prolong the agony of grief.
Don’t ruminate on the final days: Try not to replay your last moments with your pet, especially if they were traumatic.
Hold a bereavement ritual to memorialize your pet, or even a ceremony that celebrates their life. This could include spreading their ashes somewhere special, or setting aside a place in your home for them, with photos.
Reach out: Many others can lend a sympathetic ear. There are numerous resources and support groups online. ask if your place of worship offers bereavement support for pet loss.
Practice your version of grief, including working through the five stages of grief:
- denial.
- anger.
- bargaining.
- depression.
- acceptance.
Plant a tree or shrub in their memory.
Create a memory box, scrapbook, or frame with your pet’s collar or favorite toys.
Buy a product that incorporates your pet's ashes into jewelry such as a memorial necklace, bracelet, or ring. Even a suncatcher.
Share photos and memories of your dog on social media.
Find a local artist to create a painting, statue, or memorial stone, or get a plush animal representation of your pet.
Write about your feelings (See “The Rainbow Bridge” above and how the author found healing not just for herself, but also countless others), or write a letter to your pet with all the things you want to say to them.
Write an obituary

8 Ways To Communicate With Dogs After Their Death

Visit Their final resting place, whether it be their gravesite or where their ashes were scattered.
Visit a pet psychic.
Hold their favorite toy in your hands.
Meditate on their behalf.
Keep their ashes close by.
Write about them, either in a letter or in your journal.
Visit the places and people you both loved.
Perform a ritual.

**Please be aware that this is an opinion piece. The research in this article is a reflection of the work of experts who guided the author’s opinion, but is not necessarily the views of all researchers, experts, or sages on the subject. Gezinta respects that others may have different opinions, and highly recommends that the reader undertakes their own research. Learning is, after all, a worthwhile experience, leading to healing and personal growth, something we wish for all our visitors.