Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Do Animals Go to Heaven?

As I grew up on a little 'subsistance' farm, we always had a big pile in the far back corner of our property. The rule on our little farm, was that all Bunnies (lots and lots), Cats (whole lots of em'), Chickens (hundreds of them), Dogs (lost count), Birds (countless), or any critter we had that died or was hit or run over on the road or by the milk trucks or the ice trucks, or got caught in the tractors farming machinery. Anything that went the way of the non-living, could have its 'service' or whatever we decided, and was buried there on the mound. When I left the farm, that pile was extremely wide and high. I guess it was our own private animal burial mound. I sold my oldest horse just in time. :>)

After moving away from the farm and starting my own new family in the city, we always did exactly what a lot of people did for their kids critters. One kitten was whacked by a falling board in the garage. My young wife called the neighbor girl for help (I was out working 'on the road') They decided to put it out of it's misery. My wife got out her 38 S&W revolver. The neighbor girl (same age as my young wife) said she would shoot it, telling my wife she knew all about 'guns and animals and stuff'.

She closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger of the heavy caliber revolver, thinking it was like a BB gun. The squeeze of the double action, the heavy recoil and the horrific noise made her miss the cat and grab her ringing ears. She excitedly told my wife, that was the loudest gun she had ever heard in her life. They were afraid to fire that gun again in the quiet city neighborhood, thinking someone would surely report them.

My wife said they then just covered the cat with some shovels of dirt, with a couple of sticks, most likely still breathing? Our oldest son at 7, had a 'service' for it and my wife and the neighbor prayed for it to hurry on it's way to Heaven. My wife then later placed it in the trash when our young son wasn't looking. A couple of days later, He asked her where it was. My wife said, "most likely in heaven by now". Our son said "Well it was sure not completely all in Heaven yet, because something really is 'stinkin' out in the back yard". :>)

We at one point, found out there is a law about burying 'things' in the yards of homes in the city. We have many little 'fluffy's and 'purry's, and 'Cheepy's and Creepys, and Hoppie's and 'Squeakie's, including one Turkey buried all around the back perimeter of our yard. One little old dog was buried in a blue and white sweater that he just loved in his older days.

We watched on TV news, about a yard the city recently dug up completely, looking for evidence of a crime. They held the owners for a while because of all of the bones they found. Eventually turned out to be all pets, but the owners were under suspicion for quite some time, waiting for 'Forensics' to process 'The Evidence'.

If anybody ever digs up our old dog in his blue and white sweater...Oh boy I can't imagine the investigation to follow. :>) We had to put down our big old Chow Sheppard cross when he became paralyzed and could no longer walk. We let the city dispose of him because he weighed over 100 pounds and would surely cause a major problem in burial. Let alone if ever a future owner of our home 'dug him up'. We did say our goodbys and I was with him until the city people gingerly carried him into their back room at the shelter.

It was always a somber occasion with a few words said over each critter we had 'service' for. BTW I hope the Lizards, Alligators and Rattlesnakes are not too prolific in heaven. I think they would far outnumber the humans. They have been on this earth a lot longer than us. :>)

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