I have lost two of our dogs in about 1-1/2 years. Yes, we definitely do grieve for them: the loss of their companionship, loss of their love. I believe we can have a very deep bond with family pets, a trust that has built over time, and of course they are loyal friends. I even personally believe telepathic communication is common between humans and their companion animals. Why would we not miss something we love? So of course, to grieve for them is normal and I know I personally have shed many tears over my lost pets over the years and I am not alone.

There are many Christian prayers for our pets, and indeed, even a saint we can ask for assistance in our prayers--- St. Francis. At the Feast Day of St. Francis, there is even a pet blessing at most of the Catholic Churches, where the tradition is to bring in your pet for special blessings from the Priest. God desires animals to be with us in the afterlife, and although I don't have the book, there is a book by a Catholic Priest, called, "Will I See My Dog in Heaven" by Fr. Jack Wintz that uses scripture to prove that animals are special to God and will be with us in Heaven. I don't think Christianity is unfeeling towards the special bond we have with animals.

We grieve over our pets because they were an important part of our lives. We always grieve over lost relationships; the grief we have for our pets is no different.

Pets have been proven to extend the lives of the elderly. I once heard of a program that gave guinea pigs to the elderly- the folks who received them were delighted and happy.

I have had 21 cats over the course of my life, and I cried for each of them when they died. I formed a bond with them. They each had distinct personalities. Lucy retrieved socks despite the fact that she was blind! Lady was the very first dog my husband and I got after we were married, and she was such a great dog that we still miss her, and talk about how she used to carry notes back and forth between us when we were in different parts of the house.

When you ask if our pets go to heaven, I would have to say, "Yes!" Of course they do. They have souls; otherwise, they would not have distinct personalities, nor would they reciprocate love. Just today, I received a phone call from my friend, Sandy. Her cat isn't eating, and appears to be slipping away. She was sad, and so was I. My blind cat, Maisy, came up to me while I was on the phone, climbed into my arms, and nuzzled me while I talked. She purred and purred. She was picking up on the fact that I was sad, and was comforting me. A creature capable of compassion must go back to God after death.

I have yet another story. Our dog, Jody, had a stroke. After her stroke, she would not stop pacing around and around, as if she was frantically looking for something. She checked every nook and cranny of the house, and would not stop pacing, no matter what we did. All of a sudden , it occurred to me that she must have been to Heaven briefly, and was trying to get back! My husband rushed her to the vet, and the vet had to sedate her because she was so frantic. She died shortly thereafter.

Finally, I want my pets in Heaven with me. I cannot believe that if Heaven is a good place, it would be without animals. I am sure that God would have a riot on His hands if we got there, and found out our beloved pets who had passed before us were not there!

You have my prayers, and I will pray for your friend.

Many Blessings, Jaianniah

There is a story on the net and I like to think there is some truth to about a man and his dog die in an accident:

There was a man walking along with his dog they walked for a while and came to this place that looked amazing with marble floor and golden gates the man said "where am I?" the guard at the gate said "this is heaven." So the man said "cool this place is amazing come on duke lets go in!" The guard said "stop right there! No pets are allowed here, you can come in but not your dog!" The man said "but this is my best friend." The guard said "if you want to get in here you must send your pet away and enter alone!" The man said "what if I don't want to?" The guard said "I don't care but you are not getting in here get out of here!"

So the man and his dog left and walked farther along the trail together away from the glamor and splendorous kingdom and eventually came to what looked like a farm house in the country, there were no gates or fences and it looked like it went on for as far as he could see at least. There was a man siting on the porch it and there was a cool refreshing gentle windy breeze. The man walked up with his dog and said hi, the guy on the porch rocking said "hello" the man said "I and my dog have been walking a long time I know we are both thirsty. May we have some water?" The man on the porch said "sure there is a pump right over there, and a bowl for your dog as well." The man went over and pumped himself some water to drink and his dog some too. He said that is the best water he has ever had and it is so refreshing too, then he said "what is this place?" The man on the porch said "you are in heaven." the man said "what about my dog, is he allowed here with me?" The man on the porch said "where is your dog right now, he is by your side, he is right here in heaven too, what kind of place would this be if a man couldn't have his best friend with him?" The man was so grateful and said "what was the place I passed along my way here?" The man on the porch said "do you mean that place with the golden gates?" The man said "yes they wouldn't let my dog in so I left there." The man on the porch said "that was hell, they say they are heaven but they are not, they filter out anyone who would betray a friend to the good life."

So yes I believe our pets are allowed and we will see them all again, whether heaven is like that old farm or golden gates, the real heaven how ever it looks I believe will be a very accommodating wonderful place.

We lost our friend Spencer an 11 year old Shui Ztu to cancer 6 months ago. We were devastated but believed that he would be waiting for us in heaven when we got there. The a few weeks ago we found a 6 week old tri-colored Shui Ztu who we fell in love with. We called him Bentley. We had him 14 days when he began to show some puzzling and disturbing symptoms. We were told that he had encephalitis. It progresses so rapidly that he had to be euthanized less than 36 hours later. We were heart broken. He passed away 1 day past his two month birthday on May 7. We think of Spencer and Bentley everyday and the only way we get through the difficult moments is to believe that they will be waiting for us when it's our time to go.

I wish I could share pictures with you all. They were gorgeous dogs, beautiful in fact.

One of life’s greatest joys is having a pet. They bring so much happiness, companionship and enjoyment that we can’t imagine life without them.

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 image, 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)

Most interpreters of the Bible assume that man’s likeness to God and animals’ subservience to man implies that animals may have the "breath of life," nephesh in Hebrew, but not an immortal soul in the same sense as man’s.

Information from: About.com Christianity

"A pet is never truly forgotten until it is no longer remembered." Quote by Lacie Petitto

Yes, I believe there is a happy hunting ground for all animals, they are provided for in life, and they will be provided for after death. They are a part of this universe, and all that it represents. We humans are conscious of the animals/pets, and the importance of having them in our world. Therefore, we can surely give thanks to our great fortune of having the life force of animals/pets in our world!

i have a freind who heard of this study about the 21gram study. he was a docter who wanted to find the weight fo the human soul, he studied people who were very close to death , he weighed the body befor and after death, in EVERY case they loose 21 grams of weight. even with teh weight of liguid loss and air de-compesion, they still cant account 4 this! so this showed him teh human body has an energy of the soul thats weight is 21 grams. he repeats the experiment on dogs, NO RESULTS! but why ? did the have a soul? my anwser is YES! the difrance of energy that one would need to acomplish the diffrent connsiesness leval between a 2nd and 3rd density being is ALOT! in my information from diffrent and my own persoanl source is that ALL things (even inatiment objects) have SOME consiesness. All pysical life weather we are from a animal , plant or advanced lifeform, they are ALL come from the same higher self, and thios higher self sends small portions of its own connsiesness into these existances. By this fact alone and also knowing that consiesness in an aniaml needs much less of the higher self, then i immagine that the weight of the soul of teh animal is so smalll that when this experimant is done, its weighing tools were not accurate enuff. If this innterest you here is some more info for you ! click here! love n light,

rob