Whether pets go to heaven is a very common question. The short answer is that since pets do not have souls the way humans do, pets probably do not go to heaven. After a pet or an animal dies, that pet or animal likely ceases to exist. At the same time, there will certainly be animals, and thus probably pets, in heaven. Furthermore, there will be absolutely. no sadness nor regrets in heaven, and we will be perfectly happy with what God has decided heaven will be like.
Humans Are Uniquely Created In the Image of God
Genesis 1:27 teaches that humans are made in the image of God.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Humans are unique from the rest of creation in that they alone are created in the image of God. One thing this means is that humans. have eternal souls, while animals do not.
There Will Be Animals (Pets?) in Heaven
There were animals in the Garden of Eden before the fall. Because of this, we can assume that there will also be animals in heaven, which involves a “new earth.”
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more
Revelation 21:1
We can’t be sure whether there will specifically be “pets” in heaven, but we do know that heaven is a perfectly place that all Christians will be perfectly satisfied with. Whatever our experience with animals will be in heaven, we will be satisfied with God’s wise decision.
How to Respond Biblically When Pets Die
When a pet dies, we should not tell children that the pet is now in heaven, since the Bible does not teach this. Rather, we can comfort children by letting them know that God cares about all of His creation.
The pet was a good part of God’s creation, and we should be thankful that God gave us that pet for the time that He did. We should praise God for the time and joy that we were able to spend with that pet.
