When Pets Die
I’ve never had a family pet die—until last week. I’m 47.
Friday we buried our boy.
I’ve watched friends grieve theirs over the years—dogs, cats, even a rat that went on oxygen. Not kidding.
Until it happened to us, I didn’t really know what to expect. Or how my daughter might process. Our big ol’ softie—heart and soul—gone.
One friend brought us dinner. Another painted his portrait. One sent us a stone for his grave. Another left work crying. Still not kidding.
You can bet I didn’t expect any of those—especially the last one. But I’m still savoring each.
Our boy loved everyone. And everyone loved him.
When Kids Grasp the Finality of Death
As much as I’d like to bury my face in his fur, I’m not gonna dig him up to try. Animal deaths are so….final. And my daughter is discovering this.
No more “back up, buddy” as she pushes past him at the door with her coat in her arms and backpack falling off one shoulder.
No more naps wrapped up together.
No more walks in the cool of the day.
No clear Bible promises of heaven.
My daughter finally burst into tears from upstairs. It was a cry out of nowhere—the kind moms come running for.
“What’s wrong?!” I looked her over. “Are you hurt?”
Tears were streaming.
And between sobs— “I think it’s just Oakley.”
Feeling Out How to Respond
I scooped her up. I let her cry.
That whole week I tried not to let her catch me teary. I didn’t want to lead her into more sadness. But I gave her a glimpse, so she’d know it’s okay to.
I articulated what I was feeling—to maybe help her put some words on hers.
“I miss him, too,” I whispered.
We talked about the things he used to do—both the routine and the wildly funny—like the first time he tried his snow boots.
Now the tears were gone. Now we were in stitches.
When Pets Die, Faith Heals
The next day I couldn’t find her—twice. She was here. Silently staring. Probably praying.
Sidenote: If your kids pray on their own, that’s huge. It’s a big indicator that they’re internalizing your faith and making it authentically their own.
She’s good like that. Each time we told her he was declining more rapidly, she’d leave us, find him, lay with him, and silently pray.
I couldn’t ask for more. Her foundation on God is already serving her well. She knows the Creator of life and trusts Him well—even though her heart hurts. And even though He didn’t give us more time with our boy.
She hasn’t asked yet, but I have: Where do pets go when they die?
Where Do Pets Go When They Die?
What the Bible Says
Although it’s nearly silent on the subject, if we still ourselves enough, we can hear some hushed clues.
First, there are the “all creation” verses of Romans 8: …creation (ktiseōs) waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed…the creation (ktiseōs) itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God…We know that the whole creation (ktiseōs) has been groaning…Not only so, but we ourselves…groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
Some say that “creation” here just means “humans.” The funny thing about that original Greek word ktiseōs? It really does mean “all creation.”
Second, there are the “breath of life” verses in Genesis 1:30, 7:15, and 7:22. Some say the breath of life in animals is different than the breath of life in humans, therefore animals can’t get in the gates. But the funny thing about the original Hebrew for “breath of life?” It’s the same in the animal verses and the human verses. There is no change distinguishing a difference.
But. There’s good argument that their spirits are different.
What do we do with both of these?
Third, there are horses in heaven. We already know from Revelation 19 that Jesus and the saints are coming from heaven on white horses. At least that type of animal is there. Or will be. Are there others? Will there be more? Where do they come from?
Fourth, (and for me, the most telling), is the covenant with Noah and the animals.
If we examine Genesis chapter 9, we see that:
- God will demand an account from any animal that takes a human life. As well as any human that takes a human life.
- God establishes His covenant with Noah, his descendants, and every creature that was with them on the ark—every living creature on earth.
- God sets the rainbow as a sign of the covenant He made with humans and animals. (Okay, that was kind of a repeat of #2, but it’s kind of reiterated in scripture, so I did it, too.)
If the animals don’t really matter, why does God make covenants with them? We know from Matthew 12 that all of us will have to give an account on judgment day for the words we’ve spoken. If animals can’t get into heaven, why does God demand a similar account from them?
What the Holy Spirit Says
Finally, there’s the Holy Spirit.
I had an eyes-squeezed-tight kind of cry. I wanted to know: where was my dog? Will I see him in heaven? Will he be charging me at the gates? Sitting obediently at Jesus’ side? Or will he be back on earth already turned into more earth? Or maybe he won’t be in the new heaven but on the new earth?
Although I didn’t get an answer, I got a solid and completely reassuring “Don’t you know Me? Then you can trust Me.”
And for those of us who do trust—young or old—we can have that Philippians 4 kind of peace.
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