This brought up the subject of do our beloved pets go to heaven when they die and will we see them again? Which makes one wonder if animals have souls? They are God’s creatures and when we bond with them, they become part of our family. Personally I believe death is not the end for them; that when they die, they leave this dimension and go to another place where we will reunite with them when we die. Some scholars believe that our pets are actually guardian angels sent to us by God to accompany us on our journey through this earth.
DURING my lifetime, I have been privileged to have the companionship of many animals, all of which still have a special place in my heart. Be it a dog, cat, horse whatever, we form such a close bond with them until we actually grieve when they die, as do they when we precede them in death.
For instance I once had a little black poodle that I named Christy. She was my dog, my companion until my husband had a heart attack from which he recovered and when he came home from the hospital, she immediately attached her little self to him. He had to spend several weeks of bed rest during his recovery and she immediately hopped up on the foot of the bed that I placed in the den for him and there she stayed until he was able to be up and around again. Apparently she had appointed herself as his nurse and this continued for the years until his death.
After his funeral, she was inconsolable. She was blind, but if she heard a car on the street in front of our home, she would run to the front door and sit on the alert, waiting for her beloved master to walk in.
WHEN SHE realized that he was not going to, she would throw back her head and make a sound very much like “keening”, grieving for him in the only way that she knew. I took her to the Vet who advised me that the only humane thing to do was to have her put down. I did and was consoled by the thought that she was again living happily with my late husband.
The next dog that I had was a beautiful little Peke that I named SooLing. She was my devoted companion for many years. When I moved to Nevada, I had her brought out there to me and when I moved back to Georgia, of course she moved back with me. Then one day I came in and found her paralyzed from her neck down. My son, Ronnie and I rushed her to the Vet, but there was nothing that could be done. She had suffered a stroke, could not even swallow so again, I was advised that the only thing I could do was to let her go. Before they put the needle into her leg, I leaned over her and asked her to forgive me.
SHE CLOSED her eyes and laid her little head down. I believe she actually died before the solution in the needle hit her veins. I had her remains cremated, but for several years afterwards, I would sense her presence, catch a glimpse of her and feel her jump up on the bed at night.
Then my son bought me another companion, a much loved little Chihuahua that I named JoJo. He is now six years old and I cannot bear to think of a life without him, However I know that life for both of us on this earth is not eternal and that one day one of us will go before the other.
I have to believe that when this happens, I will be happily reunited with my loved ones gone on before, as well as the beloved pets who became part of our family during our travel through life on this earth.
SO I ANSWERED my son Gene’s e-mail by telling him “I firmly believe that we will see our pets again. God may even send them back to us as angels in another form. So be comforted, you will see Duncan again.”
And I also believe that the windows in heaven are always open.
Bernice Couey Bishop Anderson is a Floyd County native and a freelance writer.
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