The Rainbow Bridge

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 

Author unknown...

Beyond the Rainbow

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.
I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free
Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide!
And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!
My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night.
'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold
And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart

Author Unknown.....

...Grieve not,
                   nor speak of me with tears,
                   But laugh and talk of me
                   as if I were beside you...
                   I loved you so -
                   'twas Heaven here with you.
                                    Isla Pascshal Richardson

The Journey

When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey - a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage.....
If you allow, the journey will teach you many things about life, about yourself, and most of all , about love. You will come away changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.......
Along the way, you will learn much about savoring life's simple pleasures - jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.....
If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for not rock, leaf, or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information. Your pace may be slower when heading home to the food dish - but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field....
Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details - the colorful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig......
Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape, we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, look up , down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that nature has created a marvelously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing wonders, each day an essence of its own....
Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting on a screen. (How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are!), or noting the flick of the fireflies through the dark...
You will stop to observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves, or sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting lifes most important details slip by....
You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your feline must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride. You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie - with a cat in hot pursuit - all in the name of love............
Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound.....
You will learn the true measure of love - the steadfast, undying kind that says, it doesn't matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us: as long as we are together: Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race.......
And you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.......
If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will be not just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be - the one they were proud to call beloved friend....
I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet's time on earth is far too short - especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for awhile, and during these brief years they are generous enough to give us all their love , every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left..
The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail and sleepin in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now gray. Deep down we somehow always knew that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they would be broken. But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead - young and whole once more. Godspeed, good friend, we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.......................
Author is Crystal Ward Kent....... 

Lest we forget our American Friends
September 11, 2001

WELCOME AT RAINBOW BRIDGE
by Alexander Theodore, Bouvier, Fourth Year Resident

On the morning of September 11, 2001, there was an unprecedented amount of
activity at the Rainbow Bridge.

Decisions had to be made. They had to be made quickly. And, they were.

An issue, not often addressed here, is the fact that many residents really have
no loved one for whom to wait. Think of the pups who lived and died in hideous
puppy mills. No one on earth loved or protected them. What about the many who spent unhappy lives tied in backyards? And, the ones who were abused. Who are they to wait for?

We don't talk about that much up here. We share our loved ones as they arrive,
happy to do so. But we all know there is nothing like having your very own
person who thinks you are the most special pup in the Heavens.

Last Tuesday morning a request rang out for pups not waiting for specific
persons to volunteer for special assignment.

An eager, curious crowd surged excitedly forward, each pup wondering what the assignment would be.

They were told by a solemn voice that unexpectedly, all at once, over 5,000
loving people had left Earth long before they were ready.

All the pups, as all pups do, felt the humans' pain deep in their own hearts.
Without hearing more, there was a clamoring among them...

"May I have one to comfort?"

"I'll take two, I have a big heart."

"I have been saving kisses forever."

One after another they came forward begging for assignment. One cozy-looking
fluffy pup hesitantly asked, "Are there any children coming? I would be very
comforting for a child 'cause I'm soft and squishy and I always wanted to be
hugged."

A group of Dalmatians came forward asking to meet the Firemen and be their
friends.

The larger working breeds offered to greet the Police Officers and make them
feel at home.

Little dogs volunteered to do what they do best, cuddle and kiss.

Dogs who on Earth had never had a kind word or a pat on the head, stepped
forward and said, "I will love any human who needs love."

Then all the dogs, wherever on Earth they originally came from, rushed to the
Rainbow Bridge and stood waiting, overflowing with love to share - each tail
wagging an American Flag.

THE OLD SHOW DOG

by Cindy L. Williams

He was a real nice show dog, but his glory days are through,
And he gazes out the kennel gate, with nothing much to do.
They're loading up the van now, 'cause they're going to a show,
But his showing days are over, and he doesn't get to go.

He watches, tail a waggin', his eyes as bright as they can get,
As his crate goes in he wonders why they haven't bathed him yet.
Then your eyes meet through the kennel fence, and you have to look away,
How are you going to tell him that he's staying home today?

Retirement, they call it, now he's in his 'golden years.'
He doesn't look as old, though, when your eyes are full of tears.
And you think of all the rosettes, and the Best in Show he won,
The more he showed, the better he got, and then he had a son...
And so now for the first time, you are leaving him behind,
And trying to convince yourself he doesn't really mind.

He sees the younger dog get in, and he's looking pretty low,
But there isn't time to cheer him up, you really have to go.
'Be a good boy, old dog, this time you have to stay!'
He doesn't bark or climb the fence, he simply looks away.
Just like a nice old show dog, whose glory days are through,
He gazes out the kennel gate, with nothing much to do.
Yes, he used to be a show dog, but the glory doesn't last
And he's gazing out the kennel gate, remembering the past.