Do All Dog’s Go To Heaven? A Guide To What Happens To The Soul Of A Dog After Death

The death of your pet dog can be a life-changing and traumatic experience, and it can be just as impactful as losing a close relative or friend.

After all, your dog is a part of your family, and a loyal friend that has been by your side every single day, providing you with unconditional love and support.

Dogs live everything intensely, and they are able to empathize with you and express emotions.

It is hard to lose a dog and a dreaded moment for all dog owners. 

The death of a dog is very hard, and it can make you question death.

What happens to the souls of dogs after death?

Where does their spirit go?

Is there anything after death?

Any way to contact them?

These are questions that arise with any close-lived death, but with a dog, the answers aren’t as forthcoming, and often a lot vaguer. 

For someone in the midst of grieving their pet companion, having answers can be one of the best ways of having some form of comfort, in order to move on.

But we’re not going to lie to you: there are no certain answers when it comes to death. 

Nobody truly knows, with 100% proof or certainty what happens to a dog’s soul after death. 

Instead, there are many different beliefs and opinions, and different theories of what might happen. You might believe one or another, or none at all.

Perhaps looking through them you will find one that you connect with, and perhaps that is the sign you are waiting to know what to believe in. 

What Happens To A Dog’s Soul After Death?

As we have mentioned, there is no official or 100% proven answer as to what happens to a dog’s soul after death.

The truth is that nobody knows because nobody can see past the veil that divides the living from the dead. 

However, there are many different theories as to what happens to a dog’s soul after death, according to different beliefs, religions, and more. 

Here are what some of the biggest faiths have to say on the matter:

Christianity

Christianity has always had very contradicting beliefs when it comes to animals, and what happens to them after death.

On one hand, Christianity states that animals do not have souls in the way humans do and do not need to be saved in the way humans do, and therefore they do not go to Heaven.

But on the other side, Christianity states that animals do indeed have souls and that they are welcome in the Kingdom of God, without the need to be judged in the way humans do.

This implies that all animals automatically go to Heaven. 

It’s quite complicated, and ultimately there are various sectors of Christianity that will say one thing or another, meaning you have to position yourself depending on what you personally believe on the matter. 

However, we would like to point out that Pope Francis, the current highest authority within the Christian Church, has said that paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.

This was directed at a boy whose dog had recently died. So do what you must. 

Judaism

Judaism is very vague when it comes to the concepts of Hell and Heaven, so it is equally unclear as to whether a dog would be allowed into one or the other after death.

What is definitely clear in Judaism is that dogs do indeed have souls.

So it’s safe to assume that your dog’s soul will ascend to Heaven, or to a similar equivalent, after death, as it is a creature of God and deserves eternal paradise. 

Islam

In the Islam religion, all souls are eternal. This includes the souls of animals and that of your deceased dog.

However, Islam states that animals are not judged in the same way as humans, with some saying animals’ souls are not judged at all.

To some, this means that the souls of animals cannot enter paradise, while to others this means that animals’ souls automatically go to paradise upon death. 

Buddhism

In Buddhism, there is the belief that humans and animals partake in the cycle of reincarnation.

This means that humans can be reborn, as either another human or an animal, and animals can be reborn as other animals or as humans.

So your dog’s soul will be reborn and take the form of another animal, or even a human.

It is a beautiful thought to think that your dog is treading the world once more, experiencing it in an entirely new way but with the same energy and love. 

Hinduism

Hinduism has a very similar belief to Buddhism when it comes to the souls of dogs and other animals.

Just like humans, they enter the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation.

However, Hinduism states that animals are reborn into humans, in order to be closer to God. 

Paganism

Amongst pagan beliefs, there are many different theories as to what happens to a dog’s soul after death.

In many pagan religions, it is believed that a soul becomes energy that returns to the earth, feeding the life force that unites everything in the cycle of life.

In other pagan beliefs, the souls of animals and humans enter an eternal paradise, or an afterworld of sorts in which life continues, but in a different way. 

In Conclusion

Ultimately, you can believe whatever it is you want about what happens to your dog’s soul after death, as there is no explicit answer.

You can picture your dog endlessly running and playing with bones, as happy as possible in a paradise of sorts, maybe Heaven, maybe an equivalent.

You can believe that your dog’s soul remains on earth, staying by your side even when separated by that thin veil of death. 

Or you can believe that when your dog dies, the soul dies too, entering an eternal slumber, or a void we cannot peer into. 

The fact remains, that the physical part of your dog is gone, and the memory remains.

In a way, your dog will always be with you, be that its spirit, its soul, or the love that will bind you both together forever.