Do Dogs Go To Heaven?

One of my daily visits in the blogsphere is to The Anchoress. Yesterday and today, she has been dealing with the illness of her beloved Border Collie, Alle.

As the name of her blog implies, The Anchoress is a devout Roman Catholic, so it is not surprising that the discussion threads on her posts about Alle deal with what happens to our beloved pets when they breathe their last and leave us in a state of some of the most painful mourning we can experience. Just the thought of that pain is bringing tears that are now blurring the screen as I type.

Being stuck in Anglican Ambiguity between Protestant and Catholic, I find it difficult to articulate a Strong Theological Argument for a position on whether or not dogs--or cats--or fish, or hamsters, for that matter--will be in heaven.

But I do find comfort in the writings of the lay person's Anglican Authority on Difficult Religious Questions, C.S. Lewis. The work in which he deals with the Hereafter is The Great Divorce, and I do believe, there is a particularly grand horse in Heaven in that book.

So if horses are admitted to Heaven, I assume dogs and cats are too. And could Heaven be Heaven without birds?

Whatever your persuasion, if so inclined, take a moment and say a prayer for the recovery of of the Wonderful Alle, and for The Anchoress and her family as they endure the uncertainty that comes with the illness of a beloved pet.