Dear Gabby,
What does the Catholic Church teach on euthanizing pets? I will probably have to put down my old dog after years spent with our family. My kids will no doubt ask about whether or not they will see our dog in heaven. What does the Church say about that?
-Greg

 Hi Greg-

So sorry to hear the bad news about your dog. It is certainly difficult to lose a beloved pet and even harder perhaps to make the decision to put it down.

Your questions have both an easy and hard answer. The easy answer comes from the theology of the Church itself. Since animals are not made in the image and likeness of God and do not have immortal souls, it is acceptable to euthanize an animal humanely.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church doesn’t say directly say that pets will or will not go to heaven but it does give some guidance. All living things have a soul (it’s what makes a body alive) and when it does, the soul is separated from the body. In man, the soul is immortal so it keeps on living but the soul of an animal, or plant even, is not immortal and simply ceases to exist once the body perishes. Also, a key difference between humans and animals is that humans have the intelligence to choose God’s will or not, and after death will see God…or not.

Which all leads to the hard answer – how do you tell a child that they won’t see their favorite pet in heaven? Well, first, in heaven we won’t really be concerned with anything besides living in God’s glory (he will be sufficient) and secondly, with God all things are possible so I suppose that whenever we get to heaven, we can ask God for some time with our favorite pet.

For Him,

Gabby

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