Short answer: The Bible mentions dogs many times, and most of the references are not warm: dogs are usually scavengers, guards or an insult. It does not condemn dogs, though, and it teaches that God made the animals and called them good, and that we are to care for them. The Bible does not say whether dogs go to heaven. A faithful dog can still be a real gift from the Creator.
In This Article
If you love a dog, you may have been surprised when you looked for it in Scripture. People who ask me about this usually expect a verse about faithful companions and instead find a proverb about a dog and its vomit. That is not the whole story, but it is part of it, and I think honesty is better than a sentimental reading.
This article looks at how the Bible actually pictures dogs, what Jesus said about them, whether anyone had a pet dog, what Scripture says about animals and heaven, and what believers who love their dogs can fairly take from the Bible.
How Does The Bible Describe Dogs?
In the ancient Near East, dogs were mostly not household pets. They roamed towns in packs, ate scraps and carcasses, and were regarded as unclean. The Bible reflects this, and the word "dog" is often used as an insult. Proverbs 26:11 uses a dog as an image of foolishness.
As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
Proverbs 26:11 (NIV)
Other passages use dogs in the same way. Dogs lick up the blood of the wicked in the stories of Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21:19). Paul warns the Philippians against the dogs, meaning false teachers (Philippians 3:2). And Revelation places the dogs outside the city of God, as a picture of the unrepentant (Revelation 22:15). The Law also treats them as scavengers: meat torn by wild animals was to be thrown to the dogs (Exodus 22:31).
There are a few gentler notes. Job mentions the sheep dogs that worked with flocks.
whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs.
Job 30:1 (NIV)
Job is complaining that he is being mocked by people whose fathers he would not have trusted with his flock dogs. It is a harsh verse, but it shows that shepherds used dogs as working animals. Elsewhere, the night before the Exodus, God promised that not a dog would bark at the Israelites as they left Egypt (Exodus 11:7), a sign of peace and calm for his people. That is about as close as Scripture comes to praising a dog.
What Did Jesus Say About Dogs?
Jesus used dogs three times that we know of, and none of them is about pets. In the Sermon on the Mount he said not to give what is sacred to dogs (Matthew 7:6), a warning to use wisdom about who is ready to hear holy things. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, dogs lick the sores of the beggar, a detail meant to show how helpless and forgotten he was (Luke 16:21).
The most famous example is the conversation with a Canaanite woman whose daughter was suffering. Jesus said it was not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs, and she answered that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table (Matthew 15:26-27). The word used there is a diminutive, and it suggests small household dogs rather than the street dogs of other passages. She did not argue. She turned his own image into her plea, and Jesus praised her faith and healed her daughter. Her words are a picture of humility and trust, and they are a good reminder that God's mercy reaches beyond where we expect. Those lessons are about her faith, though, and not about the nature of dogs.
Did Anyone In The Bible Have A Pet Dog?
Not that we can point to in the Protestant Bible. The book of Tobit, which Catholic and Orthodox Christians count as Scripture, mentions a dog going along on a journey with the young man Tobias. Beyond that, the Bible's dogs are working animals or scavengers.
People did love animals, though. In his parable to David, Nathan describes a poor man's pet lamb that ate from his food, drank from his cup and slept in his arms like a daughter (2 Samuel 12:3). The story only works because the audience understood the bond. And Proverbs speaks of how a good person treats the animals under their care.
The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
Proverbs 12:10 (NIV)
That is the Bible's firmest guidance for dog owners. Feed your animals, shelter them, treat them kindly. Cruelty toward animals is not a small sin.
Are Dogs A Gift From God, And What Is Their Purpose?
Genesis says that God made the creatures of the earth and that he saw they were good.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.
Genesis 1:25 (NIV)
Humans are given a special calling to care for creation (Genesis 2:15), and that includes the animals. Dogs have helped people herd, guard, hunt and keep company for thousands of years. I do not think it is a stretch to say that the loyalty, affection and joy people find in their dogs are among the good gifts that come from the Father (James 1:17). The Bible does not give dogs a specific purpose beyond the one all creatures share, which is to reflect the creativity of their Maker.
I would be careful, though, about reading a message into every animal that comes into your life. Scripture does not teach that a dog turning up at your door is a sign or a coded word from God. It may well be a kindness. Treat it with thanks.
Do Dogs Go To Heaven?
The honest answer is that the Bible does not tell us. People who hope that pets will be in the new creation point to the way Scripture promises that the whole creation will be set free.
that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Romans 8:21 (NIV)
Isaiah also pictures a renewed world where wild and tame animals live in peace (Isaiah 11:6). That gives us reason to hope that animals have a place in what God is making new. But Ecclesiastes 3:21 asks who knows what becomes of an animal's spirit, and it is wise to admit how little we are told.
Billy Graham and Martin Luther are both often quoted as hoping that animals would be in heaven. I cannot trace those words to a source I would trust, so I will not repeat them as fact, and I would not build a doctrine on a quotation. I would rather say: God is good, he loves his creation, and I trust him to do right by the animals as well as by us. If you are grieving a dog who has died, that trust is a comfort, and so is the knowledge that God notices even the sparrow (Matthew 10:29). Our hope for eternal life rests on what Jesus has done for people, and it is explained in What The Bible Says About Forgiveness Of Sin. For more on creatures of the Bible, see What Does The Bible Say About Dinosaurs?, and for how God cares for his creation, the Bible's view of life.
What Can A Faithful Dog Teach Us?
The Bible does not hold dogs up as models, and I do not want to read lessons into verses that do not teach them. But it is fair to learn from what we see in the animals God made. A loyal dog stays by its owner through sickness and hard times. It comes when called, and it learns from correction. Those habits are a picture of a kind of trust and teachability that Scripture asks of us. Proverbs 12:1 says that whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. If your dog reminds you of faithfulness, humility or joy in simple things, receive that as a small gift and let it turn your heart to the One who is faithful to you.
Key Bible Verses About Dogs And Animals
- Genesis 1:25: God made the animals and saw that it was good.
- Proverbs 12:10: the righteous care for their animals.
- Proverbs 26:11: a dog returning to its vomit pictures a fool repeating folly.
- Job 30:1: sheep dogs worked with flocks.
- Matthew 15:26-27: a Canaanite woman's humble faith.
- Romans 8:21: creation will be set free.
- James 1:17: every good gift comes from the Father.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Jesus say about dogs?
Jesus mentioned dogs in a few places. He warned against giving what is sacred to dogs (Matthew 7:6), told a parable in which dogs licked the sores of the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16:21), and spoke with a Canaanite woman who said even the dogs eat the crumbs under the table (Matthew 15:26-27). He never spoke about dogs as pets.
Did anyone in the Bible have a pet dog?
No clear case appears in the Protestant Bible. Dogs there are working animals, scavengers or street animals. The book of Tobit, counted as Scripture by Catholic and Orthodox Christians, mentions a dog travelling with Tobias. Nathan's parable of a pet lamb in 2 Samuel 12:3 shows that people did love animals in that world.
Are dogs a gift from God?
I believe so. Scripture says God made the animals and called them good (Genesis 1:25), and that every good gift comes from the Father (James 1:17). The Bible does not single out dogs for this, but a loyal companion that brings comfort and joy fits easily inside that promise.
Do dogs go to heaven? What did Billy Graham or Martin Luther say?
The Bible does not say whether pets are in heaven. It does promise a renewed creation (Romans 8:21, Revelation 21:1). Billy Graham and Martin Luther are each often quoted as hoping animals would be there, but I cannot trace those words to a source I trust, so I do not rest anything on them. See How Many Heavens Are There?
What does it mean when God sends you a dog?
Scripture does not treat a pet arriving in your life as a coded message. It can still be a real kindness. God cares for his creatures and gives people comfort in many ways, and a dog can be one of them. Receive it with thanks, and care for the animal well, as Proverbs 12:10 says a righteous person does.
