Will animals and our beloved pets be with us in Heaven? I saw this clip and it brought back a memory of a former pastor of mine explaining that “animals don’t have a soul” when I was a kid and so that was the reason why they likely won’t be in Heaven with us 
In the Age to Come when God renews, restores, and heals all creation–new heavens and new earth–there are explicit mentions of animals. Isaiah chapters 11 and 65 both explicitly mention animals in the Age to Come.
Will my pet doggo be there? I don’t know. Scripture doesn’t mention the resurrection of animals like it does the resurrection of human beings. So we simply can’t speak one way or the other.
As for whether animals have souls, that’s a bigger more complicated topic. Because it depends on what we mean by “soul”. In the Old Testament the concept of nephesh is the breath of life, in the most literal sense it is what distinguishes the living from the dead (a corpse has no breath), In Genesis 2 when God takes earth and shapes it and breathes air into it, the lump of dirt becomes a living-breathing thing (לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה׃ - l’nephesh chayah).
There is a sense in which all living things have nephesh, a “soul”, the breath of life. After all the same term used to describe Adam after being breathed into is used to describe the animals in Genesis 1.
So if “soul” is understood simply to mean nephesh, the breath of life, then all creatures possess it.
But usually by “soul” we mean something more, often with a long history of philosophical and theological bits attached. Human beings, after all, aren’t just another living, breathing creature–we were made in God’s Image, the kind of life and existence we possess is unique among God’s creatures. Only human beings bear the moral responsibility for creation (when we fell, creation suffered for our sin; and it is our salvation to which the renewing and healing of the rest of creation is tied to). Thus we tend to think of and speak of the human soul as having specific and unique qualities–moral agency, the capacity for reason.
I certainly and hope and pray to see my precious animal friends in the Age to Come. But that’s something only God knows, and I entrust all of that to Him. Regardless of whether they shall be present in the future glory, I pray that they lived good and happy lives here and that I was a good steward of God’s good creatures in relation to them.
I’ve wondered about this too, especially after losing a couple of pets who honestly felt like family. I really appreciate the point that Scripture does show animals in the renewed creation (Isaiah 11 and 65). That alone gives me a lot of comfort… God doesn’t just redeem people, He restores all creation.
Like you said, the Bible doesn’t promise the resurrection of specific pets the way it does for humans, so we can’t be dogmatic either way. But I’ve always held onto two things:
1. God created animals intentionally, not as an afterthought.
They’re part of His joy-filled creation, and many of us have experienced how deeply they reflect His gentleness and companionship. It seems completely in line with His character that the new creation would include creatures that bring joy.
2. Whatever God has in store for us will not feel like “loss.”
He knows how attached we are, how much comfort pets bring, and how they shape our lives. I trust that whatever eternity is like, we won’t feel the ache of missing them. Whether that means seeing the same beloved animals again or some other kind of restored creation, God won’t withhold good from His children.
So I tend to land in the hopeful camp: Scripture doesn’t guarantee it, but nothing about God’s heart makes me think He’d exclude something so good, healing, and joyful from His renewed world.
And in the meantime… I just try to be grateful for the little creatures He’s already entrusted to me.