Where Does Fido Go When He Dies?

 

December 13th, 2010

 

By Padmananda Rama, CNN

"What happens to animals when they die?" author Ptolemy Tompkins wonders in

his new book.

"I looked into that dog's eyes and knew there was something more," says

Tompkins, a writer for the Christian magazine Guideposts.

At the age of 12, Tompkins named that dog - a hungry mutt with a

“copper-colored spot on her shoulder” - Penny. Decades later, in his latest

book, "The Divine Life of Animals," he briefly describes how he adopted Penny

during a family vacation to Mexico.

“Penny and I had connected. I had looked into her

face and seen something there,” he writes. Later, he concludes, “Penny, then,

must have had a soul.”

This intuition leads the author on a far-reaching journey, exploring various

faiths and philosophies, and searching for answers to explain the possibilities

of our pets’ afterlife.

During his time writing for Guideposts, Tompkins told CNN, he received

numerous letters from animal lovers who had asked their parish ministers similar

questions after the death of a pet and received less-than-satisfying

responses.

“They’re so heartbroken. They go to find out what happened to their poodle …

and they say, ‘Am I going to see my dog again in heaven?’ and the pastor sort of

scratches his head for a second and says, ‘No, you’re not. There are only people

in heaven.’ ”

 

Tompkins' book is written for animal lovers who are

dissatisfied by this response - and who are willing to take a leap of faith

along with Tompkins as he searches for clues to animals’ divinity, piecing

together spiritual arguments from primitive cultures as well as

Christianity.

“If you look a little deeper in the Bible, you can find evidence that writers

of the Bible actually did have a deeper respect for the spirituality of animal

creation than appears to be on the surface,” Tompkins says.

“There is a spiritual reality to animals,” the author explains. In

researching his book, which he described as “one man’s quest to discover whether

the souls of animals live on,” Tompkins looks to Christian theories of the

concept of the Resurrection.

“Nature is resurrected too ... so if you’re a Christian and you’re interested

in this kind of thinking, there's plenty of argument that suggests that all of

nature is included in the idea of redemption, which is central to

Christianity.”

This holiday season, as you’re checking off your gift list, Tompkins’ book

may be a good option for pet lovers in your life who are ready to explore

whether their favorite fluffy companion may also have a spiritual side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hachiko: A Testimony of Love

Adapted from Wikipedia



Hachikō (ハチ公^?, November 10, 1923–March 8, 1935), known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公^?, "faithful dog Hachikō" ('hachi' meaning 'eight', a number referring to the dog's birth order in the litter, and 'kō,' meaning prince or duke)), was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture,^[1] remembered for his loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.
In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo took in Hachikō as a pet. During his owner's life Hachikō greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where his friend was waiting. Every day for the next nine years Hachikō waited at Shibuya station.
Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, returning again and again at his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for the return of his owner.
The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.
This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.^[2]
Publication
That same year, one^[who?] of Ueno's students (who had become an amateur expert on the Akita breed) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi home (the home of the former gardener of Professor Ueno — Kikuzaboro Kobayashi^[3]) where he learned the history of Hachikō's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachikō from Shibuya Station.
He returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachikō's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's largest newspaper^[who?], threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachikō became a national sensation. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachikō's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.
Eventually, Hachiko's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty.
Death
Hachikō died on March 8, 1935 and was found on a street in Shibuya.^[4] His heart was infected with filarial worms and 3-4 yakitori sticks were found in his stomach.^[5]
His stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.^[6]

Rose-isms ~ Tweets and Quips

I love and believe this "theory" with all my heart:

“God in his ultimate wisdom, love, and mercy; created the sweetest, purest and most tangible expression of His love for us while here on our earthly journey.”
 ~ Rose Rains

"Looking for a mate? Loving and caring for a dog is a sure sign of good moral character. Good dog owners are able love beyond themselves. "  ~ Rose Rains
 
"Wish we lived in a more dog friendly society here in the US. It's frustrating not being able to take my kids along everywhere I go" :o(
 
"Please don't purchase Christmas pets for unsuspecting people or children. They may not want or be able to care for them and it could mean suffering or death to an innocent animal." -R. Rains
 
"Yay!!! All 4 kids have been to the groomers, glands squeezed at vet's, nails trimmed & Pood-'elle ear hair pulled. We're only $155 poorer."  :o
 
"Dogs are gifts. I paid over $50 on ebay for a tiny Tiffany picture frame with an old photo of a "Frenchy" someone loved in the 20's. I love him now."
 
"LOOOOOVE...being momma to Johnny, Pearly & Poppy! Unconditional love on twelve little pads of sweetness...I am truly blessed!"
 
"They are my favorite living creature on the earth. After many years of observance, personal experience and study, I've come to believe they are solely gifted to humans as companions. God in His wisdom, mercy and loving understanding made provision for a source of His pure and honest love in the most tangible and comforting way..hence the palindrome of the word...

D-O-G!"   ~ Rose Rains

"Just finished dog bath night! Lots of toweling, brushing, butt shaving, & sweet, sweet kisses! Ahhhh! Motherhood at it's best."  

"Absolutely nothing better than 3 sweet faces & 3 swishing tails to go with them." ~ Me

"Tens of thousands of rescue dogs looking for homes and each one with a heart made to love!"  

"I pass a sad basset hound named Pixie each day, who lives tethered to a short chain. Her owners ignore my pleas to free her. I'll try again." 

"Never wanted or thought I liked Poodles till I rescued a dirty, matted dog whelping in a puppy mill. She's a delight a joy, and I adore her."

"WANTED: Adults of good moral character who have a jaded or even broken heart. Heal your heart. Adopt a pet from your local SPCA. Safe love! "

"Take time to help a lost or stray dog today. If it were a human child wandering alone could you drive past so easily?"

"Home from church and sweet doggy kisses all around. In a perfect world they'd go with us!"

"Love is a cold, wet nose... Don't shop!, PLEASE.....adopt!"

GoD And DoG by Wendy J Francisco

Dog Logic: All The Reason's Dogs Are Precious

  "The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue."
-Anonymous


"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."  -Ben Williams



"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. " -Josh Billings




"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."  -Andy Rooney




"Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog." - Franklin P. Jones




"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money."  -Joe Weinstein



"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. " -Mark Twain




"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."  -Roger Cara




"If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them."  -Phil Pastoret

22 Things That Could Kill Your Dog

Adapted from: What Every Pet Owner Should Know by Dr. Karen Haligan




1. Chocolate - siezures!, coma! & death!... enough said!


2. Raisins or Grapes - can cause kidney failure


3. Bones - All types can splinter in digestive track and can kill


4. Rawhide chews - have been known to choke and suffocate


5. Cheese or cottage cheese - high fat - can injure organs like the pancreas


6. Onions & Garlic - they break up red blood cells in an animal


7. MACADAMIA nuts!!! - 6 will KILL a dog!!!!


8. Apple core & Apricot pits


9. Mushrooms - watch out for highly toxic backyard growing mushrooms!


10. Tunafish - can cause a toxic raction and give them "scombroid" poisoning


11. Caffine - highly toxic to animals


12. Alcohol - highly toxic to animals


13. Potato peel - will affect the nervous and urinary system


14. Ham - high fat salty meats = vomiting & diarrhea. Continual feeding will lead to Pancreatitis - an inflamed pancreas


15. Tomato plants and leaves - toxic and can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias


16. Liver - can lead to vitamin A toxicity and can lead to excessive bone growth in elbows, & spine; deformed bones and anorexia.


17. Salt - changes how a dog's body holds liquid.


18. Raw Egg Whites - depletes boitin in dogs which leads to: weakness, hair loss, growth retardation, and skeleton deformity.


19. Avacodos - contains a toxin called Persin; difficulty breathing, accumulation of fluid heart and abdomen.


20. Moldy foods - poisonous toxins in mold spores can lead to vomiting and diarrhea as well as resperatory problems.


21. Nutmeg - foods containing nutmeg can cause tremors, siezures and ultimately death in a dog.


22. Xylitol sweetner - Products containing Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination, & siezures. Without prompt medical treatment the dog will likely die.