Evangelist baptises her dog Christian woman making sure furry friend enters Heaven’s gates

For Evangelist Dr Taneisha Shaw, the biblical verse “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” is not limited to mankind. It is a command, she believes, that reaches every living creature — including her one-year-old pet dog, London.

Determined that London will enter Heaven’s gates with her, Shaw recently gave her furry friend a baptism, dipping her beloved pup in the Hope River in Papine, St Andrew, recently.

The evangelist told THE WEEKEND STAR that the decision was not made as a joke or for attention, but came after what she described as powerful revelations in her dreams, and a near-death experience involving the animal.

“The first dream, London was in the water and mi jump off a somewhere and go save him. And the next dream, I was literally taking London out of somebody mouth, and that calls for deliverance and is very personal,” she explained.

For Shaw, London is not just a pet. He is part of her family and, in keeping with her belief system, was given a prophetic name.

She said she received the dog as a birthday gift after returning from England, which inspired the name London. Like her other animals, she said his name carries spiritual significance.

“I have other dogs and I give them other names like Increase, Power, Advance, Unstoppable. I give them all prophetic meaning,” Shaw said.

Since arriving in her life, Shaw said London has become inseparable from her, often sitting at her feet while she conducts online ministry.

So when she travelled to the Hope River recently to baptise five people, she said London followed as usual — and she felt compelled to include him in the ceremony.

“He follows me everywhere. He doesn’t leave me,” she said. “He was following me to baptise these people, and I just baptised him too.”

Shaw said London survived after a brutal attack by two pit bulls on Holy Thursday.

“When they bit him up, him did fi dead, but I believe it didn’t have anything to do with London because that is how God speaks to me,” she said. She added that she believed the attack was connected to the enemy knowing “how much I love London”.

The experience, combined with the dreams, strengthened her conviction that London had been spared for a reason.

On the fateful baptismal day, Shaw said London watched closely as she immersed the five humans in the water, a ritual she described as marking their commitment to God and the promise of eternal life. Moments later, the dog became the centre of the unusual ceremony.

“That day I baptised five persons and just said, ‘Come London, let me baptise you too,’” she explained. “Sometimes because the enemy know how much I love the dog they will try to get to you.”

Shaw remains convinced that her actions were guided by faith. She said she is not someone who treats matters concerning God lightly.

“Me, personally, a woman of God, I don’t do nothing as a joke, especially when it comes on to God. Everything I do is intentional,” she said. “People can say different things, but I know why I did it.”

Shaw said she believes many people misunderstand the spiritual connection between humans and animals.

She argued that because animals possess a spirit, they can also experience good and evil influences.

“Many people don’t understand. First them say dog don’t have any soul, but who tell you that?” she said. “All of us have a spirit, soul and body. Like how you have human beings, you have good dog and bad dog.”