Dogs Don't Go To Heaven

“How many times does a dog have to bite before you put him down?” (36). This was Davy’s question.

Two guys attempted to molest a girl he liked, they vandalized his front door, and they took his little sister from their home. What else would they have to do to before Davy’s father felt it was time to pursue some form of justice? Shouldn’t they do something to keep these guys away? How many more times would these two guys have to “bite” before they were put down? Why did Davy’s father not seem to be as upset by the situation as Davy? This situation reminds me of another man who had a similar question as Davy: Peter.

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’” (Matt. 18: 21)
Peter seemed to be thinking the same thing as Davy: “this person did something bad to me, why don’t we retaliate?” Davy’s father and Jesus both had great things to say about this though. First, Davy’s father makes the statement that they had already won despite the way everything appeared, showing the victory that we all have in Christ. Then, “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matt. 18:22). Jesus said not to retaliate or even to hold a grudge, but to love and forgive.

The thing that intrigues me most though is not directly found in the previous passage or in the father’s explanation. The thing that intrigues me is that these two bad men are not Christians, so is it ever ok to “put down these dogs if they bite enough.” Nate Saint and Jim Elliot were part of a famous 5-man mission team that died at the hands of a hostile Indian tribe in Ecuador they were trying to reach. They had guns, but they did not use them against the Indians even for self defense. They decided ahead of time that they would under no circumstances use their weapons against the Indians because the Indians were not prepared for heaven but the missionaries were. No matter how many times the dogs bite, they should not be put down because dogs don’t go to heaven.


Enger, Leif. Peace Like A River. New York: Grove Press, 2001. Print.