Dog owners rejoice!  Many of us can all sleep a little easier knowing that there's a good chance we will see our best friends on the "other side" - wherever and whenever that may be.

When consoling a young boy who lost his dog during a recent public appearance at St. Peters square, Pope Francis, reining pope of the Catholic church, put the boy at ease by saying, "One day, we will see all our animals again in the eternity of Christ.  Paradise is open to all God's creatures."

So the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven was actually based on a true story!  Woohoo!

Ever since the report of Pope Francis' statement went public, the dog world has been going crazy.  There has long been a debate over whether or not animals end up in Heaven, as many conservatives argue that animals lack souls and thus cannot achieve an afterlife without.  But Pope Francis, who has been one of the most progressive leaders in the Catholic church since his election last March, made it clear his belief is that animals are soul-bearing creatures ... so we'll see them there!

For all of us dog owners out there, we DEFINITELY know our pups have souls - we see it on their faces and in their actions every day.  So the pope's statement may be less a surprise to us, but it's certainly reason to celebrate.  Our pups will always be with us!  Let's PAWTY!

A few facts about Pope Francis:

-Real name Jorge Mario Bergoglio

-He's from Argentina

-He's the first pope to take the name Francis and the first non-European pope in 1,272 years

-He took his name after Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the Patron Saint of ANIMALS!

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