Standing next to the grave an eight year old girl blinked backed tears and asked me; "Will Buddy go to heaven?" I knelt down in the grass and tried to be as honest and comforting as I could. I said that God created Buddy and loved him. She loved Buddy, and Buddy loved her. And the best definition we have of our creator is, "God is love." So we can believe that Buddy is now with the God who created and loved him. 

"Will my pet go to heaven?" is the most common question I'm asked by children and adults as I pray with people at the time of cremation or conduct a pet funeral for those who bury them. My answer for adults is a little more sophisticated than that but is essentially the same.

The Bible doesn't tell us about the souls of animals or if they go to heaven, but it does have words of comfort for those who love animals. The Bible tells us that animals are important to God who created every living thing, including the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every creature that moves on the earth and called them good.

In the story of Noah and the flood God chose to save the animals as well as people. We are told that God makes covenants with the creatures of the earth and gave instruction for their care in the laws of Moses. God even allowed the law to be broken to save an animal in trouble. God entrusted the care of animals to people but God still owns and cares for them.

The faith of my childhood narrowly focused  on the God of my fallen nature. This was the only theological game in town. The concern for the relationship between God and the poor, the oppressed, the outsider, nature and creation was decades away.

As the years passed I became less certain about my theological certainties but more astute at recognizing when the people in my life were hurting. So, following the death of my wife I refocused my ministry on the pastoral care of people suffering the loss of a pet and became the chaplain at Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, the oldest pet cemetery in the United States.

Saying goodbye and celebrating the life of one of God's creatures is an important lesson for our children and grandchildren as we teach them respect for creation, the environment and the nature of God. Frequently, the loss of a pet is a child's first experience with death and is an opportunity to teach them about the impermanence of life.

As we say goodbye to the sole companion of an elderly person, a family pet, or the service dogs who guide the blind and search and rescue those who are lost, it is important for our souls to celebrate their lives with a dignified liturgy and to remember the God of creation who gave us such wonderful companions.

Following an abridged reading of the creation story in Genesis we give thanks for the life of the pet who has died, for the playful pleasure they gave us, for the unconditional love they always shared with us in our good times and bad, and for their faithfulness over the years even when they were injured, hurt or enfeebled.

Sometimes the roses are thrown on the casket at the bottom of the grave, sometimes they are gently laid on the top of the dirt after it is filled in, but always with love, devotion and thanks for the gift of one of God's creation.

Every time I walk away from the graveside of a pet I am more convinced than ever that I have experienced another moment of reconciliation between God and creation.