When dogs go to Heaven, they don’t need wings because God knows that dogs love running best. He gives them fields. Fields and fields and fields.                                                                                               from Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

On April 5th I said goodbye to my beloved dog, Chuckles. He left this world peacefully, bouyed up by all the love I could possibly give and carried as far as death allowed into that deep water of the unknown. I mourn his loss like that of a partner for he was my constant companion. 

Chuckles cheated death four times in his short life. The first time being when he was pulled from a county shelter by those human angels in animal rescue who work tirelessly to save homeless dogs from an untimely death. Great dogs who make great pets- their only “crime,” their abandonment by a human.

The dogs in Dog Heaven who had no real homes on Earth are given one in Heaven. The homes have yards and porches and there are couches to lie on and tables to sit under while angels eat their dinners. There are special bowls with the dogs’ names on them.       Dog Heaven  

When I adopted Chuckles in 2010 he was approximately three years old and healthy. Neither of us could have suspected the three life-threatening illnesses that lay ahead for him, including a brain hemorrhage and tumor in 2016. But he was one tough dog with an incredible will to live.

More remarkable even than his physical resilience was his loving and gentle spirit that endeared him to all he met. As one friend aptly said, he was “The Ambassador of Goodwill.” Chuckles was fearless. By that I mean he approached everyone, dogs and people alike, with a simplistic trust, believing that they intended only good toward him in the same way that he intended only good toward them. Imagine a world in which people approached one another without fear and with that kind of trust

If I ever had a complaint about Chuckles, it was that he really could have become anyone else’s dog at a moment’s notice, he was that agreeable. But the truth is, I felt privileged to have a dog with such a great capacity to love and to spread joy wherever he went. In his honor, I share again a video that we made together that tells the story of how he came to be mine and to promote shelter pet adoption.

Dogs in Dog Heaven have almost always belonged to somebody on Earth and, of course, the dogs remember this. Heaven is full of memories. So sometimes an angel will walk a dog back to Earth for a little visit… When he is satisfied that all is well, the dog will return to Heaven with the angel… They will be there when old friends show up. They will be there at the door. Angel Dogs.

 Dog Heaven

Goodbye for now my sweet Chuckles. Wait for me.