Do Dogs Go To Heaven

"One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ, Paradise is open to all Gods creatures." Pope Francis

Pope Francis consoled a boy at the Vatican  who's beloved pet had recently died. He told the boy that one day we will be reunited with our pets in Paradise.

Pope Francis took his papal name from Saint Francis of Assisi the patron saint of animals.

The Popes statement goes against the conservative catholic church that does not believe dogs have souls hence they can not go to heaven.

Charles Camosy professor of Christian ethics at Fordham University agreed that this statement from the Pope has caused a new debate on whether animals have souls, suffer and go to heaven.

Pope John Paul II was also a believer that animals do have souls "as close to God as man" but Pope Benedict rejected the idea that animals have souls "when an animal dies it just means the end of its existence on earth".

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America, the Catholic magazine, said he believed that Francis was at least asserting that “God loves and Christ redeems all of creation,” even though conservative theologians have said paradise is not for animals.

Many are of the opinion that you can see more soul when you look into a dogs eyes than you will ever see in a person.

Dogs and Hayfever

Like humans dogs may suffer from hayfever.

Dogs are most prone to hayfever during the Summer months and early Autumn. But they may suffer as early as April.

They suffer due to  tree pollen and  grass pollen.

The inhalation and  skin contact with pollen causes hayfever in dogs.

A dog usually will show the first signs of hayfever between 1 and 3 years old.

A dogs reaction to hayfever is different to humans due to the fact that the histamines are released through their skin not their nose and eyes like humans.

The Symptoms Of Dog Hayfever

They will be itchy all over their body.

The dog may bite and scratch themselves.

A rash may be visible on their face and feet.

Reoccurring ear infections.

The hair around their eyes and feet will thin.

Coat loss due to extensive biting and scratching.

Sensitive to being touched.

Extra licking of their paws.

Rubbing their faces on the floor and furniture.

They may have watery eyes, a runny nose and sneeze but these symptoms are less common in dogs.

The skin may appear red and inflamed due to the scratching.

The dog is at risk of catching a bacterial infection when the skin surface is broken from the biting and scratching.

Reducing Hayfever In Dogs

Ensure that your dog has a well balanced diet with enough essential fatty acids that will keep your dogs natural skin defences in peck condition.

Keep your dog out of long grasses and gardens during high pollen days.

Keep your dog well groomed. Daily brushing and dematting of the dogs coat is needed.

Wipe down your dog if he/she has being in the garden or field. The wiping down with a wet cloth will remove any pollen on the coat.

Invest in a dog shampoo that's specially made for irritated skin.

There are pet brushes and shampoos that are specifically catered for dogs with hayfever.

Supplements and homoeopathic treatments should ease the dogs symptoms if used over a period of time.

Wash your dogs bedding weekly.

In more severe cases you may need to consider allergen shots for your dog.

Dog Quote

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. {Milan Kundera}

Object Suckling In Dog's

Harry at nearly 2 months old suckling on a sock

Just like human babies puppies can become attached to certain objects to sooth themselves. It is not very common but its a habit that is seen in some puppies and dogs.

Human babies grow out of their habit of suckling on a dummy or having a blankie.

The puppy usually continues their habit of suckling on something for comfort into adulthood. 


Adult dog suckling is not a bad behaviour, the dog should not be punished for it.

Puppies instinctively know how to suckle so that they can nurse of their mothers. Most puppies stop suckling when their mothers milk drys up, they start to eat solids but some puppy's want to suckle into adulthood.

The weaned puppies and adult dogs find great comfort in suckling on a non food object.
They will normally suckle on a a special toy or blanket. Something that has a familiar smell or feel.
They  may suckle for just a few minutes or hours.

Object suckling can occur in any breed of dog but it seems to be more common in working dogs such as border collies.

Even dogs that have had a perfect puppyhood, that stayed with their mothers and siblings the perfect amount of time have been known to be object sucklers into adulthood.

The gene has been discovered that is related to object suckling, it is believed to be the same gene to cause canine compulsive disorder and it is similar to the OCD gene in humans.
This was discovered through a collaboration between Cumming School of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Harry suckling a sock as a little puppy  

Why Do They Suckle

There a different schools of thought on why the dog wants to suckle on a non food item.

Some believe that it is due to a form of anxiety and  the suckling is done to calm themselves down.

Others believe that it is due to being weaned too early or taken away from their mother and siblings too soon.
Psychologist David M. Levey tested the theory that puppies weaned too early or not having their needs totally fulfilled by their mothers were prone to adult suckling.
He verified this theory by removing puppies too early from their mothers.

Puppies from large litters also suffer more from under fulfilled needs and therefore  are more prone to object suckling.
Deprived puppies start suckling on objects and continue into adulthood.


Orphan puppies are also known to be more prone to suckling into adulthood.
Harry the puppy in the pictures is an orphan puppy. We feed him milk from a puppy bottle until he was 8 weeks along with his puppy mush. 


There are two types of suckling that your pet may display. There is the habitual suckling which only lasts a few minutes usually before they go to sleep.
Then there is the obsessive suckling that last a few hours and the dog will not allow any interruption such as play, exercise, meals etc.
If your dog is very obsessive about his suckling you should contact your vet.

Harry a bit older still suckling a blanket

Harry suckling on a towel

If you remove your pets favourite suckling object the dog will usually replace it with something else.

If its not too much of a problem you should let the dog continue with his suckling.

A more problematic form of suckling is when the dog is suckling on their body. They usually will suckle on their flank. This suckling can damage the skin and needs to be taken more seriously. 

This type of suckling should be discouraged as it can lead to health problems.

Harry  at one years old suckling on a blanket

Harry suckling on the blanket his older sister Spot has no interest

Harry the dog in the pictures it seems was destined to become a suckle lover. He sadly became an orphan at a few days old. He is a working dog breed border collie. He had domineering sisters to give him anxiety. 

Harry luckily only suckles on blankets socks and toys he does not suckle on himself.

He does have favourite blankets that is washed regularly. He loves freshly washed blankets.

Dog Quote

All knowledge, the totality of all questions and all answers is contained in the dog.
{ Franz Kafka }

Dog Quote by Agatha Christie

Dogs are wise.
They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds
and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more
{Agatha Christie}

Do Dogs Have Accents

According to a study  in England dogs develop a bark similar to the sound of their owners regional accent.
It was discovered that dogs in Liverpool have a higher pitch than dogs from other regions.
Scottish dogs have a lighter tone to their bark.
It was noted that there was a difference in the tone and pitch of the dogs bark throughout England.

The pitch, tone, volume and length of the dog sounds were measured.

Different breeds of dog may have different kinds of bark.

The closer the bond between a dog and its owner the more likely it is to have a similar accent to the owner.

Dogs can have posh accents like their owners or rough accents like their owners.

Its possible to recognise an individual dogs bark just like an individual persons voice.