>>>>""Seriously, I would imagine that any animals in Heaven would be there for the benefit of the people.""

The Catholic Church states unequivocally that animals, possessing no soul, will not be admitted to heaven. This was one of the points which got me thrown out of the RI class.

I asked what would be the replacement in heaven, given the pleasure derived by humans from animals in general, and pets in particular. I said that it seemed weird that in a place which was to be the reward for goodness, we should have less pleasure than we had in life, and commented that, if I couldn't take my dog, I wasn't sure I wanted to go.

45 minutes outside the door, and a visit to the head for caning, and all these years later there is still no answer, and if it should turn out real, I don't think I've been rotten enough to be excluded, but if that dog isn't waiting I'll have to think carefully whether it's the place I want to be.
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Thanks Don, you illustrated my point with a clear personal example.
If Heaven is paradise for you, then your dog is there. But dogs don't need salvation and can't go to Hell for their sins. So your dog would be there for you. One thing I might point out is that my dog had very long fur that tended to clump and mat. In his version of heaven there would be piles of dung and stinky, boggy water and bushes with burrs for him to roll in and explore. But then if it is my version of heaven then someone else would bathe him and comb that crap from his fur.

I sometimes think that Heaven, to be the physical paradise it is sometimes made out to be, would have to be customized to the needs of each individual, with many subservient beings to tend to us. I wonder if that is the thinking behind the Mormon idea of each man ruling his own planet.