Services offer post-Rapture care for pets left behind
When my beloved Tankie died, a friend gave me a copy of "Dog Heaven," a sweet children's book. The drawings of happy dogs romping in an afterlife were comforting, even though I didn't buy the concept.
But what if the book is wrong? What if there's not a life after death for dogs, cats or other household pets? And what if the Rapture comes and you're spirited off, leaving your critters behind? (Some people believe the Rapture will happen as soon as May 21.)
Two organizations that we know of are willing to arrange for their post-Rapture care by nonbelievers for a small price.
For $135, and $20 for each additional pet, Bart Centre's Eternal Earth-Bound Pets USA will have your pet picked up within 24 hours after the Rapture -- guaranteed! -- and adopted, Washington Post columnist John Kelly reports. So far more than 250 people, mostly in the Bible Belt, have taken Centre up on this. The contract is in effect for 10 years -- good to know in case the May 21 prediction is off. If the 10 years expire before the Rapture comes, perhaps you can renew.
Centre and his 44 contractors in 26 states are pet-loving atheists who have sufficient space to take the usual types of household pets, including birds and hamsters, into their homes to live out their lives. Adoption of large animals like horses and llamas is available in Montana, Idaho, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Likewise, After The Rapture Pet Care, co-founded by a Christian and a nonbeliever, has a network of non-Christian volunteers who will provide a similar service for a $10 fee.
Questions come to mind, and some are answered at these services' websites. At Eternal Earth-Bound Pets USA:
Q: How can we trust that you'll honor your service agreement, afterall, you ARE atheists.
… We fully endorse the "Rule of Reciprocity", also known as "The Golden Rule." We just happen not to believe in God(s). …
From After The Rapture Pet Care's website:
Isn't the world going to be totally collapsed after the Rapture?
When all the Christians on the planet disappear, there will certainly be massive confusion. However, the majority of people will still be on earth, and communications will be their first priority to maintain. Therefore, I believe it will not be a problem to coordinate activities to rescue and care for your pets.
And, no, this is not a joke or a hoax.
"I am offering them peace of mind," Centre told the Post. "We can commit to you that we have the resources and infrastructure to rescue your pet from certain slow starvation or thirst, at just over a dollar a month. I do not feel like I'm taking advantage. I am satisfying a demand.”