A parable

This is a story I heard some time ago. Maybe it was at church, I don't know.

There once was a man who had a dog. He and his dog were good friends, companions who did everything together. In time the dog died, and years later the man died.

The man found himself in a beautiful place, walking along a path towards pearly gates. But some way before he reached the gates, he came across a rundown old shack with an overgrown yard. Out of the yard bounded his best friend, separated from him for so many years.

The man and his dog had a joyous reunion, and continued together along the path towards the pearly gates. At them they came to the admissions desk, where St. Peter stopped them. "I'm sorry, we don't allow dogs in here," he said, pointing to a sign that made the point quite emphatically.

The man stopped, taken aback. A paradise waited on the other side of the gates, but it was a paradise without dogs. He thought about it for a while, then he turned to his friend and said, "Come on, boy." The two of them turned around and walked along the path back to the shack.

He sat down on the porch with his dog by his side. For a moment he thought of an eternity spent outside the gates of Heaven, then he realized that the time would be spent with his best friend, so it would be all right.

Saint Peter came out of the shack carrying a tray of lemonade and brownies and a bowl of water and some dog treats. He sat beside the man and began to scratch the dog's ears.

The man looked at Saint Peter, puzzled. "What are you doing here?", he asked. "I thought you should be in Heaven."

Saint Peter continued to scratch the dog's ears. "This is Heaven," he said with a grin.

"But..." said the man. "The pearly gates...the paradise on the other side..."

"Oh," said Saint Peter. "That's Hell." He smiled at the man. "Do you think Heaven would take anybody who would leave their best friend behind?"