Dear Marissa:

There are very few Christian groups that teach that animals go to heaven. In fact, off the top of my head, I do not know any denomination that teaches that animals go to heaven. This is usually a personal belief on the part of some individuals.

St. Thomas Aquinas taught that there existed three kinds of souls:

1) Vegetative Soul: the life forced within all living things that is the animating element that we call life.

2) Sensitive Soul: that faculty that gives consciousness the living being to sense its environment and its surroundings and to respond to that environment through the five senses of the body.

3) Rational Soul: this is the soul made in the image of God that is individually created by God and placed into a human being at the moment of conception. This soul is that which allows us to have the Godly attributes of rational thought, creativity, awareness of who we are, awareness of our own mortality, ability to love, to know God, etc.

Plants have a Vegetative Soul because they are alive, but they do not have consciousness to respond with the five senses to their surroundings.

Animals have a Vegetative Soul that animates them, AND a Sensitive Soul that gives them consciousness and awareness of their environment and the ability to respond through the senses.

Only Humans have all three types of soul. Only Humans have the Rational Soul.

The Vegetative Soul and the Sensitive soul dies. The Rational Soul lives forever.

So the souls of our pets die and return to dust. They have no soul that lives forever.

Thus, there is no theological justification for our pets living forever in heaven. But God is God and being God, He is not restrained by theological principles. He can bring our pets to heaven anyway if He wishes.

I would suggest, however, that you and I will not even ask God to bring our pets into heaven with us. Why? Because the purpose of our pets in this life will have been fulfilled in heaven -- there will be no need for pets in heaven.

Human beings have pets for companionship, for unconditional "love," to otherwise fill a need in us.

In heaven we do not need pets for companionship, we will have the fullness of the COMPANION who is the Holy Spirit. In heaven we will have the greatest level of unconditional love possible for God is love and we will be in his presence. In heaven we will have no needs for we will be FILLED and SURROUNDED, and COMPLETELY SATISFIED by God.

Thus, the whole purpose of having a pet will no longer exist in heaven. The cares of this world will no longer be in our memory. We will be in the bliss of the heavenly country forever.

Now this does not imply that animals will not be in heaven. While we do not know what heaven will be like some have suggested that it will be a return to the Garden of Eden -- a rich forest and garden of trees and flowers and animals. If that is the case we may walk through that heavenly garden to enjoy the beauty of God's creation and that includes enjoying animals. But, these animals of the heavenly Garden of Eden will not be pets in the sense that we experience animals here on earth. Rather it will be simply an enjoyment of creation.

Bottomline: theologically, animals do not have an immortal soul and thus do not die and go to heaven. This does not prevent God from bringing our pets into heaven anyway, of He chooses to do so. But, I would suggest that once in heaven will shall be so complete and so fulled with the Spirit of God that we will not even ask God for our pets; there will be no need for pets in heaven. But, God can do as He wills.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary