It is what it is. That alone makes it “real”.

Will there be pigs bathing in the mud off the angels’ boots? Sure, why not? Them too.

What about the rats who carried the Black plague? Uhh… Probably. The plague wasn’t exactly their fault, was it?

Sharks who kill swimmers? Bears who kill hikers? Hippos who kill river-goers? I don’t know… we’re kind of intruding on their territories.

Clouds of malarial mosquitoes passing through the pearly gates? Hmm… I’ll have to think about that one.

Tapeworms? And there’s where I feel safe saying I’m not sure…

Anthrax viruses? No, there’s where I say I’m not sure. Are viruses even alive…?

So much wrong comes from animals as well as from people. I think if we say that it’s possible for them to wind up in heaven, then it’s possible for them to wind up elsewhere too. And as the dog poem implies, the best liar seems the best of friends. I think the only thing we know for sure is that we don’t know. It’s only faith that says my cat will be up there waiting for me.

That said, I do hope God has put some rolling forests with rocks and trees and waterfalls to explore. Pools filled with toads and pond-striders, whirligig beetles and pollywogs. Vast plains with herds of buffalo; mountainsides thick with robins’ nests and ripe apples; deer thickets among the blackberry bushes in boggy knolls. Clouds of flies that do not bite, shining dragonflies and soft butterflies, gentle snakes gliding through slippery grass. Heaven would be so boring if it were nothing but clouds.