Dogs and the After Life?

[selzer]

I actually think dogs are a living embodiment of unconditional love. Sometimes it is we who learn to love unconditionally a dog who is a royal pain in the backside. Sometimes it is we that experience the unconditional love of our dogs, when we come home grumpy and tired, and our dogs wiggle in and love us anyway.

Yes, I do think dogs love. I think they are driven to bond with other critters as they are pack animals, but I think that the bond they have with their human is a form of love. Yes we feed them once or twice a day, they do come to depend on us. Treats and toys and playing games have NOTHING to do with that bond. It can be our outward expression of what we feel for our dogs, and our dogs enjoy them, but they do not sit and think, I love Susie because she gives me orange slices.

I think God gave us dogs to teach us, train us how to love, how to have empathy for other beings, how to have patience, how to problem solve, how to understand limitations in others, how to understand limitations in ourselves.

Christians believe that God is omnipotent and omniscient. I think God knew exactly what he was doing when he created the personalities of dogs, and I know that he understands what our dogs mean to us. I don't believe that a God of love who is all powerful and all knowing, would exclude pets from the after life.

[elsie]

Originally Posted by selzer

I actually think dogs are a living embodiment of unconditional love. Sometimes it is we who learn to love unconditionally a dog who is a royal pain in the backside. Sometimes it is we that experience the unconditional love of our dogs, when we come home grumpy and tired, and our dogs wiggle in and love us anyway.

Yes, I do think dogs love. I think they are driven to bond with other critters as they are pack animals, but I think that the bond they have with their human is a form of love. Yes we feed them once or twice a day, they do come to depend on us. Treats and toys and playing games have NOTHING to do with that bond. It can be our outward expression of what we feel for our dogs, and our dogs enjoy them, but they do not sit and think, I love Susie because she gives me orange slices.

I think God gave us dogs to teach us, train us how to love, how to have empathy for other beings, how to have patience, how to problem solve, how to understand limitations in others, how to understand limitations in ourselves.

Christians believe that God is omnipotent and omniscient. I think God knew exactly what he was doing when he created the personalities of dogs, and I know that he understands what our dogs mean to us. I don't believe that a God of love who is all powerful and all knowing, would exclude pets from the after life.

Amen to that!

God is love; His love is unconditional.
Dogs naturally love unconditionally.
Humans may be born with it, but loose it somewhere along the way. Some regain it, but many don't.

I've said often that He sent me Cara to teach me how to live.

[wolfy dog]

I don't know if I will call it Love. I personally see it more as needing to belong and looking up to us as leaders. I do know that they enjoy being with me because I provide their resources and leadership. To me it doesn't actually matter what you call this incredible mutual bond. One thing is for sure: I need them just as much as I need them in my life. WD is especially something I have never experienced in having dogs.

[zivagirl]

Loving these responses.

[Carriesue]

I'm not very religious, I used to be more when I was younger but as I've gotten older I've grown more cynical.

I will say though that if there is a "God" and he doesn't allow animals into his kingdom or thinks they are not important enough/worthy then that surely is not a God I would want to follow. I've had a lot of dogs, cats, parrots and everything in between and everyone of them were individuals... Different personalities, traits and quirks, I do not believe they are emotionless and that they do not have souls or something similar. I'm not sure if there is an afterlife but if there is I sure hope I'm greeted by a bunch of wagging tails, sloppy kisses and meow meows(my male Siamese never shuts up, it will be a sad quiet house when he's gone).


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[RowdyDogs]

Originally Posted by x11

bumpity bump, this thread is entertaining. what about karma where the "afterlife" is just one life after another....haha crack myself up.

Well, it'd be funnier if you got the terms right...karma doesn't describe the afterlife. You're thinking of reincarnation.

Serious answer about reincarnation...the specifics depend on the religion and the sect (just like in the Abrahamic religions--you can't generalize about what a Muslim believes based on what Christianity teaches, and you can't say what a Catholic believes based on what the Amish practice), but many Eastern religions don't differentiate between animal souls and human souls. It's possible for humans to be reborn as animals and vice versa. The Jains are known for even brushing the ground before them with a broom as they walk, to prevent themselves from accidentally stepping on an insect. They also have extremely strict dietary rules, down to what kind of plants they can eat since small animals and insects are killed in farming.

Even in more widespread beliefs, there tends to be a concept that all life has equal spiritual value. In practice this may not play out, of course. Some traditions are completely vegetarian, and others make exceptions for subsistence hunting. But again, these are huge generalizations...you're talking about billions of people with widespread cultural and religious differences, even the ones who technically practice the same faith.

Personally, I don't believe in an afterlife really--not one that I, RowdyDogs who enjoys arguing on the internet, am going to in the exact same form. I believe there's a part of all living things, a soul for lack of a better word I guess, that existed before we were born and will continue to exist after, but it's not tied to our egos (in the Freudian sense). I think my critters, and all critters, are the same way.

But when I did believe in a more traditional heaven, I was sure my dogs were going there. My mother is very religious and believes the same thing, so I was raised that way. And she's not even really an animal person!

[butch33611]

Originally Posted by julie87

Dogs guided him back to the doctors? And he is convinced that dogs have after life? Sounds like they underestimated the extent of his injuries. Animals are just animals they dont' have "after life", sorry.

I guess the obvious question is, How do you know?

[LARHAGE]

I firmly believe animals have an afterlife with us, the week my Mother passed away from cancer she was in and out of consciousness , still friends and family came to say their goodbyes, one day her sister was visiting with her and me and my sisters left her to have private time with my Mom so we went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, after about 20 minutes my Aunt came in the kitchen and said they had a very nice talk but than my Mom became very animated and excited and started talking to a dog, I asked my sister to put her dog in the back, she replied he was in the back, than my Aunt said no, it's an imaginary dog, she's saying Oh Baron, Baron good boy Baron, me and my sisters stopped in our tracks and just looked at each other, than I said well that answers one of my life's major questions!!! Baron was my Mothers beloved German Shepherd who had died over 25 years prior, he was so devoted to my Mom. I believe he was there to join her once again for eternety.

[Midnight12]

Originally Posted by LARHAGE

I firmly believe animals have an afterlife with us, the week my Mother passed away from cancer she was in and out of consciousness , still friends and family came to say their goodbyes, one day her sister was visiting with her and me and my sisters left her to have private time with my Mom so we went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, after about 20 minutes my Aunt came in the kitchen and said they had a very nice talk but than my Mom became very animated and excited and started talking to a dog, I asked my sister to put her dog in the back, she replied he was in the back, than my Aunt said no, it's an imaginary dog, she's saying Oh Baron, Baron good boy Baron, me and my sisters stopped in our tracks and just looked at each other, than I said well that answers one of my life's major questions!!! Baron was my Mothers beloved German Shepherd who had died over 25 years prior, he was so devoted to my Mom. I believe he was there to join her once again for eternety.

That is a wonderful story

[huntergreen]

Originally Posted by llombardo

I think that they are on the other side, but I also believe that they remain with you(in spirit)





I love this picture
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...attach/jpg.gif

what a great picture!