Customer Reviews

Will My Pet Go to Heaven?

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Four weeks ago, my beloved family German Shepard/husky-mix dog of fourteen years had to be put down because of ravaging cancer in the spine which finally immobilized him. I tried not to think what I would do or how I would deal with the impending moment of decision, but it did come and now all I have are memories and pictures of the happy times. Steve Wohlberg's book has brought great hope and joy to my heart as I continue to grieve my dog's absence each day. His painful ordeal forced me to ask many questions which have thankfully been addressed in this thought-provoking book. Many pet owners, myself included, have established deep, connecting relationships with our pets, almost on the same level as people. Why is it then, that we should be allowed to experience these deep-seated loving relationships with our pets, only to have to say goodbye - sometimes snatched suddenly and unexpectedly from our grasp in tragic circumstances as the Wohlbergs did? Will our pets ever be restored to us and all made right again? Or do we all say goodbye forever to our animals who love us unconditionally? And why should these animals have to suffer an eternal extinction for a sin problem that was caused by people, not animals? This book is unique and unlike any other. If you are like me and want to know what the possibility is of one day seeing our pets again, then this is definitely a book worth reading and sharing with your family, friends and neighbors. You just won't find this topic discussed anywhere else in such an intriguing, throught-provoking manner. Simply a must for any animal lover. I have personally bought three copies as gifts already and will be getting more to give away.

This book has universal appeal. Which one of us has not known the heartache of losing a beloved pet? Like the Wohlbergs, not many of us have escaped this pain. I admit I cried as I read about the car hitting Jax, Kristin and Steve Wohlberg's small dog. As I read, I remembered with unexpressible sorrow the drowning death of my family's toy terrier, Little Chief, even though it had been 40 years ago! I remembered exactly how I felt then and how very much I wanted that special small animal to live again and not be dead. Out of this experience of sorrow, many people will ask as I did, "Will my pet go to heaven?" Steve Wohlberg's Biblical search for the answer to this question is thorough and uplifting.

Ever since I was a small child, I visualized animals in heaven. After all, God did make them first, my little girl mind rationalized. As I got older and had many animals come and go in my life, I needed conformation that my belief was in fact true. I could not imagine a perfefct place that DID NOT include my beloved pets who had passed on. Then on a recent Sunday morning, I was watching a pastor give a sermon on television. He made the mistake of telling his congregation and his television audience that animals do not survive beyond death; that only humans occupy heaven with our Lord. I began a search. The Bible talks little about the direct question: Are His animals to live forever? But after all, the bible was written for human salvation. The animals cannot sin and don't need to be saved. They already are perfect in God's eyes. Jesus has said that He was going to prepare a place for us - his children - and a place for me would not be complete unless all my wonderful and beloved animal children are there with me. And then I found Steve Wohlberg's book! This book has confirmed to me what I have known since a child. Animals do, of course, go to heaven. Steve has given biblical references in this book and explained in a way that only a man of the clergy can do in pointing out God's love for and eternal existence of animals. This is a wonderful book and should be included in bible school curriculums. Every person who has ever loved an animal needs to read this book. And those who preach that animals "die and go into the ground forever" and wrong, wrong, wrong. I wrote and told that televison pastor so and used Steve's book as a reference. He has since recanted his views.

Get the kleenex ready, because this is a heartwarming tear-jerker. However, it will provide some comfort and assistance in dealing with the grief of losing a beloved pet. An ideal gift book for the animal lovers in your life. Buy several copies at a time, and keep them on hand, for when the appropriate occasion arises, and for when the right words fail.
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY
(The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier)

This book was fascinating and logical, yet a tear-jerker BUT with hope and assurance of seeing our pets in Heaven. Before I finished reading this book I purchased 3 more copies for friends and my vet, and I plan on buying more copies! I highly recommend this book!...

Will My Pet Go to Heaven?This book does not try to prove without a doubt, but instead gives a preponderance of biblical evidence that weighs heavily in favor of our pets being with us in heaven and on the new earth. This is the perfect book to share with someone who has lost a beloved pet. The author teaches the basics of salvation and how as Christians we don't need to grieve our loss like the rest of men who have no hope, because our hope is eternal.

This is a wonderful, heartwarming book. It helped me tremendously after several of my pets died. This book gave me peace of mind as well as hope for the future. It is written in a clear, concise, easy-to-understand manner & would be helpful if read to children as well. I raise show dogs & will be recommending this book to all my puppy buyers for the time when the inevitable happens. If you have lost a pet at any time of your life, this book will help you with the grieving process. Be sure to have a box of tissues at hand!

The title of this book really grabbed my attention, and I'm sure it will grab others also. The Biblical references, along with the slow and methodical way that the thought processes were directed to the hope of a future reuniun with a beloved pet, were more than adequate to the task of keeping one's interest throughout this book. All people who love their pets owe themselves the pleasure of reading this book, increasing their knowledge of God's plan for salvation, and satisfying their hunger for reassurance that their pets might indeed be with them in Heaven.

This book does have some nice thoughts in it but there is only a fraction of the book that actually deals with scripture. Like other similar books it's mostly opinion, and opinion which is not even encouraging! He says we don't know for sure that our pets are in heaven and that we must come to our own conclusion! He stresses so much about how people are so much more important than animals to God and that Jesus died only for humans not animals! (Rom 5:8)

He says all we can do is "hope" that our furry friends will be with us. He does say he believes in a "real possibility" of this happening! He says that animals can't think, they can only give love. I think that since animals can display such attributes as love, hate, sympathy, generosity, reasoning powers, language and body language, memory, a sense of moral responsibility, unselfishness, self denial, forethought, affection, friendship, humour, pride, jealousy, anger, revenge, conscience, love of master, conjugal love, and parental love all of which belong to the spirit, not to the body, that animals can think.

He says that it's a "no brainer" that we should think that a human's eternal life is more important than our pets." Real encouraging huh! One nice thing he teaches is that animals display so much love and compassion and he asks "where do such feelings come from anyway?" Well, love and all the above attributes can only be from God and is evidence they can THINK! I feel for his loss of his precious little dog. My heart goes out to him and his wife. But it is my opinion that Steve Wohlberg should stick to his specialty which is Bible Prophecy.

I've read several books on the subject of animal afterlife and the best one I've found is "There Is Eternal Life For Animals" by Niki Behrikis Shanahan as it details Bible Scripture and shows from the Scriptures how much God loves ALL His creation and it proves from the scriptures that animals ARE going to heaven. That is what a grieving pet parent needs to hear, not just someone's opinion.

What I liked about this book:

Most importantly, the book is based on Scripture. I you are a dedicated agnostic, hoping to find a story to make you feel better, based on a bunch of other people's opinions, you won't find it in here. Wohlberg has searched for the truth on this topic, and wants to share with his readers what he has found. He admits that he is not sure whether or not our pets will go to Heaven, but he tells us why he thinks there is a strong possibility that they will indeed be there. I also like that the book is written in a simple, understandable format. There's no deep theology or "Christianese" that's not explained clearly. Due to the writing style, and some of the other topics covered in this book, it could be a great evangelistic tool - a wonderful book to give to your non-Christian friends when they are struggling with the loss of a pet. I also like the little quotes Wohlberg has scattered throughout the text.

What I didn't like about this book:

Wohlberg only actually spends 9 pages in the book answering the question "Will my pet go to Heaven?"!! The rest of the book is about human-animal bonds, his own personal (and tragic) loss of his pet that led him to write the book, God's love for animals, animal sacrifice, and other somewhat-related topics. Most of this material is good, but I found the chapter entitled "Pets, People, & Priorities" to be inappropriate. Although I agree with the basic idea ("people come first, then pets") I do not think this book was the appropriate place to discuss it. Wohlberg seems to have a particular soft spot for dogs, horses, and cats, or what he calls "God's more intelligent" animals. He is somewhat exclusive. I know I'm not the only person with a pet leopard gecko! I also found several typographical errors, and for a book that is only 94 pages long, I believe this is pretty bad. Doesn't someone proofread these books before they publish them?