by Susan Morton

Created on: January 16, 2009

ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN

When I was a little girl, I had a dog named Mickey. He was a springer spaniel. Where ever he went I was with him, and where ever I went he went. One day my mother wanted to walk to the post office, I was four years old at the time. I went to the back yard and chained Mickey up, our fence was six feet high, so that I knew he would not get out.

As my mother and I were walking up the street a fire truck was coming up behind us sirens wailing. I did not know that Mickey had gotten loose, and dug out from under the fence to follow me. The next thing I knew, was hearing Mickey scream. The fire truck had run over him. My mother tried to hold me back, but I had gotten loose and ran to him. He lay there dying, and I grabbed hold of him and would not let go, blood and all. My mother said later to my father that I was hysterical. That I had kept saying Mickey come back, come back, lets go home.

My mother had to restrain me, and carried me home in her arms. For two weeks I would not eat, or sleep. I was waiting for Mickey to come home. My grandmother was called to come down from the mountains to talk to me. I loved and revered her so, I never questioned anything she ever said to me. But, for the first time ever, I actually got into an argument with her.

Her explaination of the way the creator viewed animals did not set well with me. She said to me that man had dominion over all animals, and that they had no souls so that they would not go to heaven. She said that I should not be so upset, that I could replace him. In my heart I knew she was wrong, and for one hour I argued with her, and told her that Mickey would be waiting for me in heaven. I recieved a spanking and lecture for questioning her, much less arguing with her, after all what did a four year old know?

All of my life, I have taken the loss of my animals deeply. I have loved them surely as I have loved other human beings. I know that in some peoples minds animals do not rate high in going to heaven, but I knew that all the years I had read the bible, Christ had said to one man,"Lest yea be as a little child, you will not see the kingdom of heaven." That one quote has stayed with me my whole life.

You see, I see the earth and all that lives in it as a part of the creator. With out the creators energy and creation we would not be here ourselves. We are and should always be the earths caretakers, and of all that lives on or in it. I know this does not sit well with my family, and I hope my deceased Grandmother understands that, man may have dominion over all animals, but he trusts us to take care of its inhabitants.

I take that job seriously, I can not speak for others, but I can say this, I believe that all dogs go to heaven just on the merit of their loyalty and love for us. In fact, all animals go to heaven, if we do not take better care of our animals, we may just not have a earth for our children to live on.

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