There are a wide variety of interpretations regarding the eternal future of animals. While there are many Bible verses that depict animals in the new heavens and new earth, there is much debate about whether or not they will be the same animals that we know and love that will join us in heaven. 
In this article, we will first look at what exactly it means for humans to be made in the image of God. Then, we will look at the verses that indicate the presence of animals in heaven.
Humans (Not Animals) Are Made in the Image of God
Genesis 1:25-26 describes the sixth day of creation and paints a clear distinction between animals and humans: 
“And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”
This passage clearly explains that it is humans, not animals, who are made in the image of God. Humans are superior to animals, and they are charged with exercising dominion over them. But what exactly does it mean for humans to be made in the image of God?
Exodus 20:4 says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image” to worship. In ancient culture, it was common practice to make a statue of a king and keep it nearby to remind everyone that he was the ruler even in his absence. God commanded His people not to make a carved image of Him because He had already created them in His image. When the world looks at God’s followers, they should see a reflection of God Almighty.
John 4:24 says that “God is spirit.” The first way humans reflect God is that they have been given a spirit, and this spirit is eternal. Since animals are not made in God’s image, they have not been given this same eternal spirit. Moreover, humans are rational, moral agents who reflect God in a way that is distinct from animals. They uniquely relate with each other and exercise both authority and responsibility. 
No other creature belongs in the salvific covenant that God has established with humanity, and no other creature claims a personal relationship with Jesus. As the crown of creation, humans alone represent and reflect the character and person of God. It is clear that animals do not have the same spiritual nature as people, so some scholars conclude that it is reasonable to assume that animals will not experience the same afterlife as humans in heaven.
Verses Depicting Animals in Heaven
But the Bible seems to present a more complex understanding of animals than simply annihilation. Several passages refer to animals being present in heaven. Isaiah 11:6-9 portrays a wolf lying with a lamb, a leopard lying with a goat, and a lion lying with a calf. It says that a cow and a bear will eat together and a child will play near the cobra without getting hurt. These relationships between predator and prey cannot and do not exist now. For them to come to pass, it will have to mean that animals exist in heaven.
Scholars who argue that animals won’t go to heaven believe that animals do not have souls and cannot relate to their Creator in the same way that humans do. But the Bible refers to animals praising God in heaven. Revelation 5:13 describes “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea” lifting up “blessing and honor and glory” to God.
Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 leaves room for the potential that humans and animals go to the same place after death. The author notes that humans and animals both share the same breath and die. He explains that people have no advantage over animals and says that no one really knows if human spirits ascend and animal spirits descend upon their death. But Luke 3:6 offers at least the possibility that animals too will ascend, for it says that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Paul explains that creation itself has been subjected to the bondage of corruption but that it will one day “obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Indeed, he teaches that creation is eagerly awaiting its day of restoration and liberty (Romans 8:19). And Psalm 36:6 echoes this teaching as it reveals that “man and beast You save, O Lord.”
Another set of passages to consider in the matter of whether or not animals go to heaven is Psalm 69:34 and Psalm 150:6. Psalm 69:34 teaches that the heavens and the earth offer praise to God as well as the seas and every moving creature in them. Psalm 150:6 complements this verse, saying that “everything that has breath praise[s] the Lord.” These verses seem to indicate that the spiritual state of animals is much more complex than it appears on the surface. Animals have the ability to praise their Maker.
Job 12:7-10 expands on this idea to say that the beasts, birds, bushes, and fish all have the ability to teach of the Lord’s might. Even they know that in the hand of the Lord “is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” Indeed, the creatures of both the sea and land sing a new song to the Lord (Isaiah 42:10).
But perhaps the greatest argument for animals going to heaven is the fact that God established covenants with the animals on two occasions. In Genesis 9:12-17, God gave the rainbow as “the sign of the covenant that [He made] between [Him] and [Noah] and every living creature that [was] with [him].” Indeed, it was the “sign of the covenant that [He] established between [Him] and all flesh that is on the earth.” Then, in Hosea 2:18, God “will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground.”
Ultimately, all animals belong to God (Psalm 50:10-11). And if He promises to “abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land” and grants animals the ability to “lie down in safety,” then He will fulfill His promise. And however He chooses to do this (by restoring the animals we know or creating new ones), it will be glorious!