Dealing with a dead dog

[elts1956]

There is no reason to believe that animals will exist in the resurrection. This earth shall pass away, our Lord tells us. Their souls do not continue to exist after their death. No matter how you look at it, a particular animal from this earth will certainly not exist in heaven.

Considering grieving, I would say that it seems to be an attachment to creatures, something we should avoid. That being said, it seems natural to have some inclination towards “man’s best friend.” As far as a means to grieve… perhaps consider buying another dog?

Have you ever had a pet? There is a connection between humans and animals. I truly believe my best friend was sent to me at a time when I most needed him to fill a part of my life. I cannot imagine, but I do think of it, the day when he is gone. I have had several pets in my life, but this little guy has reached parts of my heart none of the other have. I would miss him terribly if he were not by my side and I would grieve very, very, very much. And yes, I might possibly get another dog, but he wouldn’t be the same as my Jacques that I now have. We need to grieve our losses, not repress them. This in only human.

 

[elts1956]

There is no reason to believe that animals will exist in the resurrection. This earth shall pass away, our Lord tells us. Their souls do not continue to exist after their death. No matter how you look at it, a particular animal from this earth will certainly not exist in heaven.

Considering grieving, I would say that it seems to be an attachment to creatures, something we should avoid. That being said, it seems natural to have some inclination towards “man’s best friend.” As far as a means to grieve… perhaps consider buying another dog?

I’m wondering what everyone on the trad board has to say about dealing with the death of a pet. My dog Shadow is being put down tomorrow, and this gives me a reason to broach this topic. I have a broad understanding of the metaphysical aspects involved. I know about rational vs irrational souls etc, but is it wrong to become attached to a dog to the point where you have to grieve when it dies? How do you grieve? You can’t pray for it, so what do I do?

Of course animals have a place in creation, and it seems reasonable that after the resurrection there will be animals as well, but this just brings to mind the fact that the whole point of the beatific vision is satisfying all desires known and unknown. You’ll be happy looking into the face of God as He truly Is whether or not so-and-so is in heaven with you (assuming I make it). Just wondering.

There is a children’s book, Ten Good Things About Barney, which helps a child through the grieving process when a pet dies. I don’t remember all the ten good things, but I do remember that at the end of the story, the family either buried Barney, or his ashes and then planted a tree in his memory where his remains were place. What a sweet memory.

 

[IntegraCatholic]

Have you ever had a pet? There is a connection between humans and animals. I truly believe my best friend was sent to me at a time when I most needed him to fill a part of my life. I cannot imagine, but I do think of it, the day when he is gone. I have had several pets in my life, but this little guy has reached parts of my heart none of the other have. I would miss him terribly if he were not by my side and I would grieve very, very, very much. And yes, I might possibly get another dog, but he wouldn’t be the same as my Jacques that I now have. We need to grieve our losses, not repress them. This in only human.

Friendship makes friends equal, so it’s not possible to speak of a friendship properly speaking with an animal, which is not a rational creature. We are friends of God by his gift of grace in our souls. He dwells in our souls in sanctifying grace and gives himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament. Without this, we could not be, properly speaking, friends of God. As I said in my first post, I can see how there would be some affinity for an animal, especially “man’s best friend,” but any sort of attachment would be an inordinate attachment to creatures, something we are called to root out from our hearts.

 

[elts1956]

Friendship makes friends equal, so it’s not possible to speak of a friendship properly speaking with an animal, which is not a rational creature. We are friends of God by his gift of grace in our souls. He dwells in our souls in sanctifying grace and gives himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament. Without this, we could not be, properly speaking, friends of God. As I said in my first post, I can see how there would be some affinity for an animal, especially “man’s best friend,” but any sort of attachment would be an inordinate attachment to creatures, something we are called to root out from our hearts.

An attachment to one of God’s creatures should be rooted out? Poor St. Francis of Assisi, called the animals brothers because they are God’s creation. Sounds like “rooting out” is a bit calvinistic to me.

 

[aicirt]

Friendship makes friends equal, so it’s not possible to speak of a friendship properly speaking with an animal, which is not a rational creature. We are friends of God by his gift of grace in our souls. He dwells in our souls in sanctifying grace and gives himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament. Without this, we could not be, properly speaking, friends of God. As I said in my first post, I can see how there would be some affinity for an animal, especially “man’s best friend,” but any sort of attachment would be an inordinate attachment to creatures, something we are called to root out from our hearts.

How does one stop an attachment? It is only through one’s affinity for dogs that man has learned that these animals are capable of serving us in the most surprising ways. They’ve always been used as guard dogs, hunters, and war dogs. Only recently have we learned of their abilities for search and rescue, therapy, companion dogs, assisting the blind and disabled, sniffing out cancer, and alerting the master to a possible seizure.

Who understands what goes on with a horse or dog whisperer? Is it really that mysterious? Like everything else, if we just take the time, we end up learning so much. Once we take the time and let them teach us, we realize they’re Gods gift to us. And you love them that much more.

 

[nannygirl]

Friendship makes friends equal, so it’s not possible to speak of a friendship properly speaking with an animal, which is not a rational creature. We are friends of God by his gift of grace in our souls. He dwells in our souls in sanctifying grace and gives himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament. Without this, we could not be, properly speaking, friends of God. As I said in my first post, I can see how there would be some affinity for an animal, especially “man’s best friend,” but any sort of attachment would be an inordinate attachment to creatures, something we are called to root out from our hearts.

I’ve agreed with your posts on this subject. (You don’t come across as “bitter” to me at all.)
While I enjoy my dogs and their antics, I consider myself more their caretaker. They guard our house and in return they get food and shelter. If it became necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for food. I like my grandparents attitude toward pets - people always came first and pets got the left-overs…

 

[HelenRose]

“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.” Irving Townsend

I think that one of the greatest gifts God has given us is our pets.

The myth of the dog.

When Adam and Eve were sent away from the Garden of Eden a huge gap was created between man and animal. At the very last moment the dog jumped over this gap to be with his friend man.

Living on a farm with cattle and other animals I do not confuse animals with people. They are animals and people must come first. But, I still love my silly little poodle and my onery little schnauzer.

 

[Like]

“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.” Irving Townsend

The myth of the dog.

When Adam and Eve were sent away from the Garden of Eden a huge gap was created between man and animal. At the very last moment the dog jumped over this gap to be with his friend man.

Living on a farm with cattle and other animals I do not confuse animals with people. They are animals and people must come first. But, I still love my silly little poodle and my onery little schnauzer.
I think that one of the greatest gifts God has given us is our pets.

Ditto! Thanks for your post.

Ditto! Thanks!

 

[Bluegoat]

No, I’m not a theologian. I am a philosopher. I wouldn’t consider my personal studies of theology and limited formal study to constitute a theologian. The greats didn’t attempt to tackle the issue because it is an illogical proposition. No Catholic in history would have considered it possible for the animals that currently live to be in heaven, before or after the resurrection. They have material souls, that is, it is inextricably bound up with their material existence. When they die, they no longer have an animating principle. They do not have eternal, rational souls as men do. Whether they will exist at all, I didn’t say it was impossible. I haven’t really studied the issue enough to know one way or the other (if we can even know definitively from Church teaching or common consensus of theologians). It simply doesn’t make sense. Our entire purpose as being created in grace is to love God and to experience perfect happiness in the beatific vision. Anything created cannot increase that happiness, so it doesn’t make sense that animals will exist in heaven. What’s more, I think you would be hard pressed to find a single theologian before modern times who describes heaven including plants or animals. If you do find one, I’d be more than happy to hear about it. On the contrary, when you consider what the greatest saints and doctors of the Church have written (St. Gregory, St. Augustine, St. Bernard, St. Thomas, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis de Sales, St. Alphonsus Liguori, etc.), you will never hear about anything of the sort.

Heaven isn’t the same as post-Resurrection Earth. The Catholic Church is clear that animals cannot be in Heaven because their souls are not immortal but completely attached to their bodies, and so are destroyed along with the body at death. However, after the general Resurrection we know that we will not remain souls without bodies; the Earth will be remade anew, the material world will be remade in its perfection, bodies will be remade for our souls. What this means is that it is possible that animals could potentially be in the remade Earth (and one might ask what is meant by “Earth” or “creation” apart from plants and animals and rocks and planets.)

You might also want to consider:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them.

Which may just be more than a nice image.

 

[Mariekin]

Now that all you dog lovers are weepy, have you seen “Hachi” with Richard Greer and an Akita? It’s a two hanky movie. Based on a true story.

Saw this movie just last week. If dogs grieve for us, then I’m sure it’s ok for us to grieve for them.

 

[vera_dicere]

My dog passed away back in 2003 and I really miss her. She was 18 years old and was always getting into dog related shenanigans - one time running into Mass and going right up to the altar and sitting there at the steps. I turned to my dad and said “hey! Look at that funny dog”. Imagine our shock when we realised it was OUR dog!!

She did that a few times too, despite us locking her up in her kennel when we went to Church, but the priest thought it was cute, she was never a disruption and other parishoners thought it was funny. No one actually complained, though my mum was not impressed. But I always thought that Sally must have known God in some way that she wanted to come to mass. I mean, she could have easily have found us if she wanted too, and we only lived a few doors down from the church so she could have gone right after we left, but she showed up half way through mass!

Anyway, my dad got her cremated and now she sits in an urn under a pile of old paper, I’m not too impressed with it, but my dad does not deal with death well.

As animals are part of “this” world, and don’t have an immortal soul (according to some, though I’m more inclined to accept that in some ways they will exist after death in some form - but this is only know to God) , so regardless, I think perhaps it is morally acceptable to scatter their ashes. With that said, I haven’t scattered the ashes of my ratties because I’m not sure where I can scatter them that they would have liked, and they were always really close to me so I think they dont’ mind being in little boxes on my mantal.

But with burrial, when my cat died, and I was really, really upset, many years ago, we burried her in the back yard. Well, my mum did after she had her put down without telling me. I always felt bad when we left that place, because,a and I still do, think about other owners doing some gardening or renovation and finding Tinker’s bones, or her grave not being given the attention I used to think it deserved.

So I guess its a personal decision as I can’t see any moral issues with disposal of animals regarding scattering of ashes, of course, we are called to care for animals, and I think that just wrapping them up in a bag and throwing them out with the garbage would be disrespectful. My sister in law suggested I burry my uncremated rats under a tree or something to give their bodies back to the environment from where they came (there’s three in the freezer until I can afford cremation),