I love this tale that I was told about 20 years ago. I think most dog owners will agree.
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at the desk to one side.
When he was close he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”
“This is heaven sir, the man answered.
“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.
“Of course sir. Come right in and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
“Can my friend”,gesturing towards his dog, “come in too?” the traveller asked.
“I’m sorry sir but we don’t accept pets.”
The man thought for a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long to a hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man leaning against a tree reading a book.
“Excuse me! Do you have any water?”
“Yeah sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.”
“How about my friend?” gesturing to the dog.
“There should be a bowl near the pump.”
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned pump with a bowl beside it. The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. “What do you call this place?” the traveller asked.
“This is Heaven”, he answered.
“Well that’s confusing”, the traveller said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven too.”
“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.”
“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”
“No we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.”