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Speaking of which, my friend Dan Williams, a retired preacher, professor and marriage therapist who lives in Tennessee, noted that nearly every congregation has a “cat lady.”
He joked that he told one such woman that “dogs will go to heaven, and cats will go the other direction.”
“When she started to protest, I said: ‘Think about it, Gayle. When have you ever heard of a cat rescuing someone from a burning house or fending off an attacker or helping to find a lost child? Any time you walk through the airport, you’ll see people using service dogs. Have you ever seen a service cat? Can you imagine a cat on a leash leading a blind person? Cats are selfish — that’s why I can’t imagine them in heaven.’”
Somehow, Williams told me, he and Gayle remained friends.
“We never did come to a firm conclusion on whether there will be animals — of any kind — in eternity,” he said.
My friend Steve Holladay has no doubt there will be.
Holladay, who leads a national ministry called Ultimate Escape, has owned a handful of Rottweilers that have helped in his presentations.
“If God works through dogs in this life to help accomplish his will, I imagine dogs also have a place in heaven,” Holladay told me, specifically mentioning two of his late beloved pets. “I don’t know about all dogs, but I’m expecting to see Baby Ruth and Legend when I get there.”
Count my wife among the believers that dogs — including Frannie — will find their way past the pearly gates someday.
“Animals are capable of love, and God is love,” Tamie said, explaining her reasoning. “We may be made in God’s image, but he knew we would need different kinds of companionship in life.”
And in the afterlife, too, many pet owners are sure.
I’m not certain, but I am hopeful.
Right, Frannie? You’re a good girl.