This past week I performed my first pet funeral. I was surprised when I received the call from the mother. Their family was traumatized that their cat was going to have to be put down. So we planned to have a special service when they buried their special pet. I incidentally posted on Facebook that I was going to be doing a “pet funeral” that afternoon, which sparked some debate about whether our pets here on earth would be in heaven. I am afraid I don’t know the answer to that question.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember the life of our dear pet,” I began.
I then shared with them a short homily based on Psalm 84:11 that God does not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly, and some reflections from Isaiah about some of the animals that will be in heaven. We then went around the small circle of family members and a few friends to reflect on our memories of this special feline.
I’ve had some people who tell me they liked this idea; others have told me that it is beneath the dignity of a minister of the gospel to take the time to do a pet funeral. But for me, the two teenage boys who are a part of this family were grieving and I felt it was essential that I be there so that I could minister to them. I don’t know if their special pet will be in heaven or not, but I am thankful that their family felt comfortable enough to ask me to be there for an event that was certainly traumatic for them.
So, what do you think? Are pets going to be in heaven? Should a minister be available if a family needs to bury a special family pet?
Pastor Soup's Blog 
God bless you, pastor Michael, for ministering to the grieving family. I do believe that our beloved pets will be in heaven, based on my somewhat broad interpretation of Acts 3:19-21
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
I believe that this restoration of all things would certainly include the restoration of our precious pets. Last year we lost our dear old Siamese cat, “Louie,” who had been my friend for 18 years. I grieved like your family there did, Michael.
To finish off on a happy note: When my kids were small they asked me if Louie was going to be in heaven. I told them that when Jesus comes the trumpet will sound. When they hear that noise, just grab the cat and hang on tight–and that cat at least will be in heaven!
Martin
Hello Dr. Campbell,
I think that pets will be in heaven. The only thing is I fear that my own biases are making me say that. I am a dog lover and have had around 6 or so dogs in my life time. Even now I have a wonderful little shih-poo named Daisy. I remember when we had to put two of my dogs down and the subsequent launch of a search for answers.
The reality is Scripture doesn’t really have answers regarding this issue. However, I do know that God is a loving God and that He loves even the birds of the air, so why not my beloved Daisy? For my wife and I, Daisy is pretty much a member of our family. I also know that Heaven will be beyond our wildest expectations, and I expect our beloved pets to be a part of our heavenly experience.
There are numerous books on the issue. I haven’t gotten around to purchasing any but I believe I even found some works by Christian scholars on the issue. Right now a search on amazon.com only finds books written by lay authors and psychics.