All Dogs Go to Heaven

Q: Do animals go to heaven? Our pastor assured me years ago that they do when Bingo died and I firmly believe it. I also wonder if they are a form of angels since they really seem to have the unconditional love thing down. My husband thinks I am wacky when I mention this concept!

A: Your pastor seems like a wise man. Haven’t you seen the movie “All Dogs Go to Heaven?” I personally love that show, because it presents a unique view of what happens after we’re no longer “here,” and tells it from an animal’s perspective. I DO believe that animals go to heaven, but I’d like to explain myself further, as my concept of what’s heaven may be different than yours.

I believe that we all come from the same “place” and while we’re down here we’re still a part of that place, but feel separated from it. When we die, we return to that place of Wholeness, Oneness, or Unity (that’s what you may call heaven). I don’t think it’s an actual place – I think it’s more of a state of being. I think we can experience that feeling of heaven down here, as well. And that’s what I think dogs (and cats and other animals) do. Whenever I do work with animals, I feel them as pure Spirit – they are so uncluttered and clear, it’s really easy to read them. They don’t hide things and lie to themselves like we humans do – dogs are only with us to love us. They don’t HAVE to be with us, but they choose to be with us (just like cats and horses).

Are they angels? They certainly can have angelic energy, which is the energy of help, support and love. But angels with wings and halos, gowns and such? I don’t know about that. But I think there are a lot of different definitions that angels can have, and love is central to all those definitions. Here’s what I think it all looks like: I think when we love someone or some animal, we form a connection with them. When I see the connection it looks like a beautiful golden cord between the two people, or person and animal, or animal and animal, or heck, probably even person and chocolate bar (I’m not sure about the chocolate theory, but I’m working on it). And what I know for sure is that what is connected in love can never be disconnected unless you ask for it. So everything and everybody that you love will always be with you, no matter where you are, or where they are.

A beautiful example of this is found in the movie, “What Dreams May Come” by Stephen Simon. When Robin Williams dies, he’s instantly met by his dog, who comes bounding through the field to greet him. And why in the world could that NOT happen? People talk about the theory of sentient beings, which means only those beings who perceive or feel things but I believe EVERYTHING has a consciousness in some form, whether it be person or tree or even the Earth herself.

Can’t you feel that energy of love moving through everything? Didn’t you hold Bingo and feel that love flowing between the two of you? That was real, wasn’t it? That love is the perceiving and feeling energy, I think, not the things themselves. I think love animates everything, creates everything. I’ve said it before, but I think God IS Love. And if God is everything, then everything is Love, therefore perceiving and feeling.

Judging what can or can’t perceive or feel is SO subjective. In Richard Gerber’s book, “Vibrational Medicine,” I read about an experiment where the scientists attached sensors to a plant, then cut off one of its leaves. The readout from the sensors jumped dramatically when the leaf was cut, leading us to surmise that the plant “felt” something – pain? Its destruction? Well, something, anyway, which should give us pause as we go on our way, blithely saying what is or is not possible. In fact, in general I would recommend Gerber’s book if you’d like to read more about some pretty amazing studies on what’s going on in the animal, plant, and human world (I recommend the audio tapes over the book, as the book itself is really dense and the tapes are easier to understand, in my opinion).

Is it possible for you just to believe that animals go to heaven, then to live in the comfort that that brings you, knowing you and Bingo will be together again someday? Who is there to prove OR disprove your beliefs? For that’s what all of this is – just people’s beliefs and opinions on what happens after we die, and I think to a great extent your beliefs create your experience of heaven, and what happens to you after you are no longer here. If you are happy here and feel heavenly, then you’ll not only experience that feeling of heaven on Earth, but later as well. And Bingo? From what I can see, he’s with you even now, wagging his tail and happy as always. See if you can’t feel him near you – then YOU’LL know it’s all real. Where there is love, there IS no separation. Ever.

And as for your husband, I’m seeing that he’s a really good guy, but is a little more left-brained rational, wanting solid proof to explain his world. You’re more open to believing in more than what your eyes can see, but ironically he seems to love that about you. He sees you as a tender, sensitive person with a lot of love, so know that even if he teases you about your beliefs or questions, he still really respects that you have that faith. He thinks you are a very strong person. And I think he secretly would like to believe that he’ll see Bingo again, as well. He probably just won’t admit that to you. There was a lot of love between the two of them. And remember, where there is love, there can be no separation.

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven…”
-James Thurber