I love animals. I always have. 

Growing up on a farm my favorite activity, as a little girl, was to be out in the barn with the cats. 

We had dogs too. I used to run with my Irish Setter when I was a long distance runner in high school.

I continued to run with him when I was home on college break. The last time I ran with him I took notice of him.

He always ran ahead of me but would turn around frequently to make sure I was still keeping up. If we passed another farm where there was a dog he would slow down, keeping right by my side. He made sure that if the dog had intentions of attacking me he was  gonna have  to deal with him first. 

I was back at college when I got call from my mother.  My beautiful Irish Setter, Jude, got hit by a car and died. Where was my precious dog now?

I wanted to believe he was in heaven. So I searched the Bible and I believe I may have found an answer.

When God created the earth everything was created to sustain life. He told Adam that he could eat from every tree except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If he ate from that tree he would surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17) 

Then he created Eve and we all know what she did. She ate from the tree of knowledge.

Did any other species eat from that tree?

So if the tree of knowledge held the key to death and animals did not eat from it, they don’t have the key to death. If you don’t have a key to open a door how can you walk through it?

We, as humans, are the only ones who have opened the door to death. No other species has defied God in the manner we have. No other species has required the blood of His Son to cover our sins. 

Do all dogs go to heaven? I believe that all animals do. 

I believe everything which God creates has eternal potential. Humans are the only ones who have risked eternity because of disobedience.