If you go to the archives on the right-side column, you can read Brownie and Me (Part 1) which was published on January 20, 2014.

I despise going to the vet. Let me rephrase that – my dogs and I despise it. What new ailment are they going to discover? How much will this visit cost? Why do they always want to schedule a follow-up appointment?

Okay, attitude check. Let me rephrase my rant. I GET to go to the vet. I am fortunate that they have meds to help heal my dogs. I am blessed that they provide quality care. We are lucky to have loving animals.

But that doesn’t make any of it easier when you’re going there to put your dog to sleep. Brownie has had the signs for months if not years: trouble breathing, trouble walking, trouble sleeping, and trouble holding her waste. Having this dog for 14 years, we clung to who she was in the past instead of who she had become.

As a family, we’ve already had to sit in “the room” twice before with Buster and Sadie. Being transparent – I had been praying for years not to have to do this. I had prayed that God would one day peacefully take her in her sleep. To please let us avoid having to schedule this dreadful appointment. I voiced my frustration to my daughter, and I believe she had a timely response. “Dad, Brownie loved us so much she fought to hold on to her life for us.” Very true. Brownie had been a fighter her entire life – rescued from a puppy mill with fleas and mange. A lifetime of emergency room visits, multiple back surgeries, and once was literally hours away from permanent paralysis. She always fought back. Why stop now near the end of her life?

Afterward, we cried, shared memories, swapped pictures, and clung tightly to our golden retriever Macy.

I don’t know about you, but I live with the hope we’ll be reunited with our pets in Heaven. Here are the two reasons why:

1. The Bible talks about that there will be animals in Heaven.
2. The Bible talks about everything will be made new in Heaven.

1) Animals in Heaven – The book of Revelation describes Jesus and the armies of Heaven returning to Earth on white stallions (Revelation 19:11-16). The prophet Isaiah gave a future vision of animals dwelling peacefully with each other and people (Isaiah 11: 6-8). The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra (v. 8). Just these few verses feature wolves, lambs, leopards, goats, calves, yearling, lions, cows, and snakes. I hate snakes – but these verses make it sound like they are going to be actually decent creatures. My personal belief is that this is not an exhaustive list of the animal kingdom in Heaven. So why not whales, kangaroos, hamsters, cats, and dogs???

2) Things Made New in Heaven – People will be radically changed and restored in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:50-53). The Apostle Peter talked about a future time called “the restoration of all things.” Back to the book of Revelation, Jesus proclaimed, “Behold, I am making all things new (Revelation 21:5). The wording here is key, notice he didn’t say, “Behold, I am making all new things.” Since God is love (1 John 4:8), I have a hard time comprehending Him saying something like, “You enjoyed this on earth, but it will be taken away in Heaven – now get back to choir practice!!!”

Conclusion – You know what, I could be way off with my beliefs and opinions. That’s okay. There’s probably a scholarly theologian somewhere out there that can prove me wrong. That doesn’t bother me – I’ll keep clinging to the hope someday once again it will be Brownie and Me 🙂

Blessings,

Dave

https://www.amazon.com/author/davidrische