Do Pets Go to Heaven? A Biblical and Hopeful Look

If you’ve ever loved a pet deeply, you’ve probably wondered at some point: Will I see them again in heaven? It’s one of those tender questions where our hearts long for clarity, but the Bible gives us only glimpses. Over the past few years, I’ve been wrestling through this myself, asking not just what I hope for, but what Scripture and Christian tradition really say.

This isn’t about trying to force an answer, but about seeking truth…with hope. And the more I study, the more I see a picture of a God who notices sparrows, who renews all creation, and who promises to make everything new.

What does the Bible teach about animals?

The Bible makes it clear that animals matter to God.

• God cares deeply for animals.

  - Psalm 36:6 — “You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.”

  - Matthew 10:29 — “Not one sparrow falls to the ground outside your Father’s care.”

• Animals will be part of the future kingdom.

  - Isaiah 11:6–9 — “The wolf will live with the lamb … they will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain.”

  - Isaiah 65:25 repeats this vision of peace.

• Creation itself will be renewed.

  - Romans 8:19–21 — “The creation waits in eager expectation … that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”

• God will make all things new.

  - Revelation 21:1, 5 — “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth … He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’”

Taken together, these passages show us that animals are not an afterthought. They’re part of God’s original creation, His continuing care, and His eternal plan of renewal.

What the Bible Does Not Say . . .

It’s also important to acknowledge what Scripture doesn’t say:

• Nowhere does the Bible explicitly state: “Your specific pet will be with you in heaven.”

• Animals are not described as having eternal souls in the same way humans do. Humans are uniquely created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

That leaves us with some mystery, but also room for hope.

Catholic and Protestant Perspectives

Christians across traditions approach this question in slightly different ways.

• Traditional Protestant view: Animals do not have immortal souls, so while they may exist in the renewed creation, your individual pet may not. This view emphasizes the difference between human and animal souls.

• Hopeful Protestant & Catholic view (gaining more traction today): Since Romans 8 and Isaiah 11 show creation’s renewal, and since God notices sparrows, it’s reasonable to believe animals (including our beloved pets) could share in eternity. Many pastors and theologians now lean toward this hopeful “yes.”

• Catholic emphasis: Pope Francis, in Laudato Si’, described eternal life as a place where all creatures, “resplendently transfigured, will take their rightful place.” Earlier popes were more cautious, but Francis opened the door to a more holistic hope that our pets may indeed be part of God’s new creation.

  
  

C. S. Lewis on Pets and Heaven:

C. S. Lewis, though careful not to go beyond Scripture, offered some imaginative hope.

• In The Problem of Pain, he suggested that “tame” animals (pets) may share in eternity through their masters. Their “selfhood” is bound up with us, and as we are redeemed, they may be preserved in us.

• In letters, he comforted grieving pet owners by suggesting it’s not unreasonable to hope they would see their pets again.

• At times he distinguished between the essence of animals (“dogness”) and specific pets, but leaned toward the possibility that beloved pets (those tied to us by love) might indeed be with us in heaven.

Lewis admitted this was speculation, but hopeful speculation rooted in God’s goodness.

A little more on what Pope Francis said:

You may have heard the quote: “Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” This was widely reported as Pope Francis, but it seems to have originated with Pope Paul VI. Still, Francis has spoken in similar tones.

In Laudato Si’, he wrote:

“Eternal life will be a shared experience of awe, in which each creature, resplendently transfigured, will take its rightful place …”

While not official doctrine, this aligns with the biblical vision of creation restored, not discarded.

So, after all this, what’s the answer? Based strictly on Scripture:

• We cannot guarantee that your specific dog, cat, rabbit, or bird will be there. The Bible doesn’t state that outright.

• We can say with confidence that animals are part of God’s eternal plan. Isaiah, Romans, and Revelation all point to a renewed creation where animals flourish.

• We can lean toward hope, that in God’s goodness, the pets who brought us joy and companionship here may be restored with us in eternity.

The God who notices sparrows, who preserves animals, who makes all things new, is not a God who forgets.

Billy Grahams thoughts on pets in heaven:

• He acknowledged that the Bible does not explicitly answer the question of whether animals go to heaven.

• He said that heaven will be a place of perfect happiness, and if animals are necessary for that completeness, then God will place them there.

• He often quoted or alluded to Isaiah’s prophecy of harmony among animals (e.g. “the wolf will live with the lamb”) as imagery that gives hope to the idea of animals in the new creation.

• One of his well-known quotes is:

  “God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.”

So, in essence, Graham framed the idea as hopeful speculation rather than a doctrinal claim.

The Bible leaves us with some mystery about our pets in eternity, but it also leaves us with tremendous hope. We know God cares for every sparrow, redeems all creation, and promises to make all things new.

If heaven is a place of complete joy and restoration, wouldn’t it make sense that God’s heart might also welcome the pets who brought us love here on earth?

So will we see our pets again in heaven??? I believe Scripture gives us good reason to hope so.

Heaven is a place of perfect joy, peace, and restoration. If the love and companionship of our pets was part of God’s gift to us on earth, it’s hard to imagine Him withholding that in the new creation.

As C. S. Lewis hinted, perhaps our pets’ lives are caught up in ours; and as we are redeemed in Christ, so too will they be. As Pope Francis said, eternal life will be a shared experience of awe where each creature takes its rightful place. And as Billy Graham said, “God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.”

So I choose hope. I choose to trust that the God who never forgets even a sparrow will not forget my beloved pets; and that one day, in His renewed creation, I will see them again.