Pet Loss Recovery
God's Garden
God's Garden is a true account of my search for truth after I lost my dog Brittany Lane. I loved her so much! She was my only child, my best friend and a true companion through all the difficulties in life. She was my favorite thing. She was ill for years with no complaint and during that time I only loved her more. I was not at all prepared to lose her. When she passed on, I was not aware of what happens to animals after death. Was it all over? Would I ever see her again? I needed to know so I asked the Lord to do whatever He needed to in order to show me for sure where she was. I was desperate I'm embarrassed to say. I was not sure what I had to do to know but I was willing to do anything. I also wanted something that anyone could see so that others could be helped as well as me. Have you heard animals have no soul and don't go to heaven? I did. Well to my great surprise, the Lord showed me clearly from His Word that my sweet love was in Heaven and a whole lot more. He revealed to me His purpose and His love for animals. People as well and the process of recovery from the loss…completely. Once you recover God will also restore you. So, here goes...
In the Beginning:
Genesis 2:19 States that "God created the animals from the dust of the earth just like man and before man".
They were to be acompanion to man. A helper comparable to him.
Wow that is good. So, don't be surprised if your furry or
feathered pet is your best friend.
They give such unconditional love, becoming a complete comfort to you, truly satisfying and they know you
so well they are your most loyal fan.
They are supposed to be all of that! The Lord created the Garden of Eden for man and the animals and told
them to eat green herbs and fruit for their food.
No bloodshed was planned in God's Garden. No death. Man and the animal were 'good' in God's eye.
After the fall of man, rebellion and sin did change things. Blood was shed, but God still had a plan...
Genesis 7:1-5 talks about when the great flooding occurred Noah was asked to lead animals into the ark.
Guided by God to spare them from the flood go look: He did it by sevens. So. 'he took the four
legged "clean" animals (non-hoofed animals) by sevens male and female pairs'.
Seven is the number of completion. Your clean animals and birds were
spared from judgment by sevens. They were always special to the Lord. Leviticus Chapter 11 goes over
clean and unclean animals but the new Testament shows more about animals under grace and not the law.
So male and female pairs by sevens He saved them all and they are all special to the Lord.
All through the Old Testament up until the time that Jesus was crucified on the cross, He being 'The Slain
Lamb' the animal was the
only way to God. An animal sacrifice was acceptable to the Lord.
I believe this is because they are sinless i.e. spotless.
Some are calling it "soul-less". The point is, without the will to sin, there is no sin. Therefore, there is no
need for salvation.
Man has a soul and needs a plan of salvation-this we all know. Man has a free will. However, it
is the spirit that is eternal, not the body or the soul. The soul of man, in fact is the willful disobedient part
that needs to be renewed after the "born again" experience. This process takes a long time. Once one is
"born again", his spirit which is eternal is bound for Heaven instantly. Therefore, a pet's spirit is what would
dwell in Heaven the same as man.
The fact that the animal may not have a soul does not matter.
Now after Jesus' resurrection the Lord showed two men visions of the animals of the earth in Heaven.
The first one is in Acts 10:10 and it speaks of Peter being shown a vision three times: "And he saw Heaven
opened up and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners descending to him and let down to the
earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things and birds of the
air." God also informed us then they are all clean and pure now in verse 15.
The second example in Revelation 19:11: says, "...and John saw heaven opened up and behold, a white horse."
Jesus is returning on a white horse from heaven. The animals are there.
The Lord proved in His Word from Genesis to Revelation the intent for the animal, His
thoughts toward them, His original plan and His eternal plan. He is in Heaven. They are in Heaven, after they
pass on from the Earth. I am not sure why we suffer loss or why such perfect creatures like our companion
animals and any animals suffer and why they
have a shorter life span. If you love your pet it is never long enough what ever their life
span is. That is why God has an eternal plan! At times we as humans have
'magical thinking' where our pets are concerned and we can get caught up in unrealistic expectations.
Everything under the sun has a
season and when it is their time they seem to 'remove' themselves from the pack and just accept it.
If you have loved an animal deeply, it is normal for you to grieve deeply when they pass on. Thankfully, if
you have ever watched this process
they do seem to pass in peace. I seem to force solutions and have done
this twice in a frantic fruitless effort
to delay their passing and hopefully have learned that none of that works. It left me feeling guilty and even
my pet seemed to say 'stop' it is my time.
I believe they know Heaven awaits them and are unafraid. If I can help one
person by admitting that I acted crazy to stop them from going be helped; but let go of any guilt which
normally follows those failed attempts. Your precious pet forgives you so you forgive yourself. They are in
heaven and if they were ill they are not anymore.
Your goal is to get there yourself so you can see them again. This is accomplished through the Good News of
the Gospel and the 'born again' experience.
The Lord is very interested in your eternal plans. He is waiting for you to say "Lord I need You".
God is also very interested in healing your grief. He is a
God of Love and Restoration and He wants to heal your broken heart and give you that pure
love once more.
The ASPCA has a Pet Loss Support Hotline available for no cost help and emotional support. This is a vital
tool by dedicated professionals
who are not only there for you but they give sound advice. This kind of truth may be what you
need to be set free from any of your decisions.
Only hind site is 20/20 and we are all rattled with the 'what if's' and 'if I only had' questions. Sometimes we
want to go when our pet does. Don't worry that is only temporary.
The number is:
(877) 474-3310
The University of Davis Irvine School of Veterinary Medicine
has studied the issue and determined that pet loss is equal to the loss of a child.
Unlike the loss of a child when you are ready, remember there are many animals to love. You may not have
done things perfectly but there are so
many animals that need loving homes. The Lord has another one for you. You can love
again and recover from the great loss of pure love for your precious pet! A new pet has a way of helping you.
I found that complete recovery came when I allowed myself to love a new pet profoundly again. The solution
was to get another dog for me. I did so quickly in an effort to save my life.
Doing so helped me accept the loss in the first place. It helped me forgive the two I felt unforgiveness for the
most. Myself and God.
We all have our own time to recover and you will know.
I must admit it took a while to love with wild abandon again. Once I did I was not sorry.
It is the human conundrum wrapped in an enigma-love hurts but there is no other game in town.
If you love deeply again and loose them it will hurt just the same.
There is great purpose in pain if we allow God to use it. It seems
to me that my second loss helped me grow up and become a better person.
She inspired me she was so smart it seems as if she was not a dog but a 'fur person'.
The average life span of a dog is 10 to 14 years. A cat is 15 years. A horse is 25 to
30 years and a bird is a wide rage based the type but can be long 19 to 100 years.
Loss in life happens but notice that after all of Job's great losses, the Lord restored him. He restored him
double when he prayed for his friends (Job 42:10). In fact, the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than
his beginning (Job 42:12). The Book of Job clearly illustrates the fact that the Lord restores any loss.
He will restore yours as well.
You will be hurting but God still has the upper hand and we serve a God who has control.
My precious pet was terminally ill, but it was my fault she perished on the particular day she did.
She choked on a pill I gave her and that was her last breath. I asked the Lord why He would take my only
child at such a young age and at my own hand?
He said 'the same thing happened to Him'.
He gave his only Son to us to be crucified for our sin.
The Creator of the Universe will see you through. He understands your pain.
The Lord's plans are always complete. He uses pain and He will not give you more than you
can bear. He will always help you. "All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called
according to His plan" laid plainly Romans 8:28 None of us can do this alone.
There is one more thing I would like you to remember. There
is grief and then their is a spirit of grief. Grieve with help. If you can't get past one of the stages of grief
based on the model on Death and Dying found here: Elizabeth Kubler Ross Foundation...get some help. Don't let
bondage or the spirit of grief consume you.
That thing is a spiritual dark force that wants you to never feel free. The Bible says
whom the Son sets free is free indeed found in John 8:36.
Let me also say
that love and caring for your animal with reciprocal pure love in return determines your pet. This is not
limited any by type. Feelings are feelings-period.
No matter how bad you feel right now you can be healed and you can love and trust again.
That is God's way and it is His plan and His promise is real.
His Holy Spirit is 'God with us now'. He knows what to do and He will.
Rebecca, John, Brittany and Diva