My little Sheltie dog passed away this weekend. He was named Broker, because all the hotel brokers at our office gave him to us 12 years ago. He was my friend and my little buddy and would lay by my chair every evening. When he looked at me, it was as though he was looking into my soul and with every look, he told me he loved me. When we buried him, there were tears and a real feeling of loss because he was not right there beside me. Our other dog, Sofie (a yorkie) has been looking for him around the house all weekend and can’t find him. She feels like I do, there has been a loss in the family.

I told my wife this weekend, I would make a terrible farmer if I raised cows, pigs and chickens, because all my animals would die of old age. Ha. There would be no animals used for food and I would go see them all every day. I have never seen a gray cow, pig or chicken but all my animals would grow old and just slip away to wherever animals go.

I puzzled this question over the weekend. ‘Will there be dogs in heaven’? While I know very well there is no scripture that addresses this (I looked) I am not so sure. I have asked myself, why would God let us love a dog so much and have such a relationship if there was no hereafter for a Dog. Who knows, maybe Broker will be standing beside St Peter when I walk through the pearly gates. It comforts me to believe such a thing.

I don’t think it is just happenstance that the word, dog, spelled backwards, is God. I think there is a reason for this. I already miss my little buddy and he will have a place in my heart for as long as I live. KT