"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept it's awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan...."
This page is dedicated to our lost loves who wait patiently for us at the Rainbow Bridge. We love and miss you so much.
I stood by your bed
I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep. I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear, "It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."
I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea, You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.
I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore. I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.
I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care. I want to reassure you, that I'm not lying there.
I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key. I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "it's me."
You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair. I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.
It's possible for me, to be so near you everyday. To say to you with certainty, "I never went away."
You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew ... in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.
The day is over... I smile and watch you yawning and say "goodnight, God bless, I'll see you in the morning."
And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide, I'll rush across to greet you and we'll stand, side by side.
I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see. Be patient, live your journey out ... then come home to be with me.
Author unknown
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Dogs Who've Shared our Lives
"They will not go quietly,
the dogs who've shared our lives.
In subtle ways they let us know
their spirit still survives.
Old habits still make us think
we hear a barking at the door.
Or step back when we drop
a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And, sometimes, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts
belongs to them...
and always will."
"Sometimes it helps just to know someone cares...and I do."
Author Unknown
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The Gift of a Pet
A pets love is one of God's greatest gifts
Always there for you
Their love never lifts.
A pet is a friend to treasure and love,
A gift from the heavens,
A gift from above.
When you look into your pet's trusting eyes,
Something is there
That no one can disguise.
It's a look of complete love and something to admire,
It makes your heart melt
And sets your soul afire.
When the day comes for you and him to part,
Your pet's soul is still with you,
He is still in your heart.
And at the Bridge he does what he used to,
Running, playing, jumping
And waiting for you.
And when you do enter heaven forever,
You find your still loving pet
And cross the Rainbow Bridge together.
~unknown
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"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us." - Robert Louis Stevenson
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 will 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 no 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, except 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 all 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 and flash of 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 life's 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 chewy 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 a while, 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 sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy now wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle gone to 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. "God speed, good friend," we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.
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"I fall asleep in the full and certain hope
That my slumber shall not be broken;
And that though I be all-forgetting,
Yet shall I not be all-forgotten,
But continue that life in the thoughts and deeds
Of those I loved."
--Samuel Butler
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Rainbow Bridge
"Just this side of Heaven is a place called 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 and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away 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......."
~Anonymous
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Rainbow Bridge for Neglected Furkids
At Rainbow Bridge it has been said departed pets, who have been dearly loved by owners in life, play and wait in meadows. When they hear their loved ones call, they rush to meet them and they cross Rainbow Bridge together, never to be parted again.
What has not been told is the fate of the orphans, the strays the unloved, abused or neglected fur babies who also play in the meadows and wait for someone to call their name and cross over the bridge with them.
In life these fur babies had no special person to love and care for them. And even though they may have been beaten, kicked, starved or otherwise abused or neglected, their hearts are only full of love and forgiveness!
Every time one of these special ones sees a human soul, they too become excited, hoping maybe this will be the person who will love them and take them across the bridge.
Sometimes their wait seems long, but suddenly one hears his name being called. Startled, heart beating wildly, he looks in the direction of the voice. All fear and sadness depart and he runs eagerly to meet his new loved one. Tears and licks, hugs and nudges abound.
The person who has called his name also was unloved, abused or neglected in life. Now they both have found purity of unconditional love that was missing in life and together they cross over the Rainbow Bridge.
~~Author Unknown
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Rescuers Rainbow Bridge
The Bridge Unlike most days at Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All of the recent arrivals had no idea what to think, as they had never experienced a day like this before. But the animals who had been waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was going on and started to gather at the pathway leading to The Bridge to watch.
It wasn't long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung low and tail dragging. The other animals, the ones who had been there for a while, knew what his story was right away, for they had seen this happen far too often.
He approached slowly, obviously in great emotional pain, but with no sign of injury or illness. Unlike all of the other animals waiting at The Bridge, this animal had not been restored to youth and made healthy and vigorous again. As he walked toward The Bridge, he watched all of the other animals watching him. He knew he was out of place here and the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But, alas, as he approached The Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who apologized, but told him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their people could pass over Rainbow Bridge. With no place else to turn to, the elderly animal turned towards the fields before The Bridge and saw a group of other animals like himself, also elderly and infirm. They weren't playing, but rather simply lying on the green grass, forlornly staring out at the pathway leading to The Bridge. And so, he took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting.
One of the newest arrivals at The Bridge didn't understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the animals that had been there for a while to explain it to him.
"You see, that poor animal was a rescue. He was turned in to rescue just as you see him now, an older animal with his fur graying and his eyes clouding. He never made it out of rescue and passed on with only the love of his rescuer to comfort him as he left his earthly existance. Because he had no family to give his love to, he has no one to escort him across The Bridge."
The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?" As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the gloom lifted. Approaching The Bridge could be seen a single person and among the older animals, a whole group was suddenly bathed in a golden light and they were all young and healthy again, just as they were in the prime of life.
"Watch, and see.", said the second animal. A second group of animals from those waiting came to the pathway and bowed low as the person neared. At each bowed head, the person offered a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. The newly restored animals fell into line and followed him towards The Bridge. They all crossed The Bridge together.
"What happened?"
"That was a rescuer. The animals you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of his work. They will cross when their new families arrive. Those you saw restored were those who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are allowed to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor animals that they couldn't place on earth across The Rainbow Bridge."
~unknown
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Rainbow Bridge for Dogs Who Didn't Know Love
The little dog arrived at the Rainbow Bridge, and a pack of dogs rushed up to greet him. He braced himself, expecting a fight, but this was the first pack that wagged their tails and kissed him instead of attacking him.
It was beautiful here, and everyone was nice to him. None of them had been born in a puppy mill, like he had, and used for dog-bait fighting and left to die on the street because he was a mix-breed, battle scarred cur and wasn't cute. They explained why they were waiting..... For their humans who loved them.
"What is love?" he asked, and God let him go back to earth, and find out.
Warm and dark, he squeezed in with the others and waited for the day to be born. Scared, he held back as long as he could, but finally got dragged out, by his hind feet. Hands without fur held him gently and rubbed him dry and opened his mouth and guided him to a warm nipple with milk. He didn't get a good hold on it, because one of his big fat brothers pushed him aside. The human hand moved the other puppy to another nipple and held his body, so he could drink.
"Ahh, that's better," he thought, and drank until his jaws got tired, and he curled up to sleep next to his warm, hairy mother.
"I remember this," he mused...."Too bad I'll have to grow up to be hit, left out in the cold and rain, and used for dog-bait fighting, and die as an unclaimed rescue dog. I remember what it's like, being a dog," he thought sadly.
That night, he crawled up to his mother and tried to nurse, but he kept being pushed off to the side. When they were full, the big brothers and sisters got their bottoms cleaned, and he finally latched onto a nipple, but the human hands weren't there to hold him up, and there wasn't any milk in any of the nipples anyway. He was weak and so tiny. It was even hard to stay upright, and he fell over on his back and couldn't right himself.
So he began to cry, and suddenly the human hands were there, holding him up and putting a rubber thing in his mouth. It didn't taste or feel like mother, but it was warm and made the ache in his tummy go away.
He was having trouble breathing.... His lungs weren't fully developed, because he had waited too long to join the others in the womb, as he took one last romp at the Rainbow Bridge. He could feel the heartbeat of the human, who laid him on her chest and covered him with a soft cloth, keeping him warm, and soothing his body with gentle, circling touches.
He kept thinking of his new friends who had been so nice to him at the bridge and asked God if he could go back. God said, "Yes, but not just yet. You wanted to experience love."
So for several hours (seemed like days but it was dark and he couldn't tell what time it was), the human supplemented his feeding and let him experience the warmth of his mother's body and tongue, and the pile of warm, soft litter mates. He got weaker, and the human held him more often, leaving the litter mates to sleep in a pile while he got caressed, kissed, and got to listen to the heartbeat which was strong and loving.
Finally God came back and asked, "Are you ready to come back to the Rainbow Bridge?"
"Yes," he responded, with a little sorrow, because the human didn't want to let go, and was crying.
He pushed the air out of his lungs and floated back to the Rainbow Bridge and looked back to the human, who was still crying and holding the limp body that he had borrowed for the trip.
"Thank you, God," he said. "Love is beautiful, and I will wait near the Bridge and let the human know, when she arrives, that I loved her, too."
~unknown
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The promise of a thousand tomorrows is gone
One journey ended and another begun
This one just for you
For a lifetime my companion and best friend
Now you travel alone
I was left behind
A heart heavy with sadness
A mind full of memories
At times clouded by tears
I never wanted for you to take that journey alone
Or at least a journey without me
We were soul mates
Few words needed to be spoken
In order for our love for each other to be expressed
Knowing glances, loving touches
Conveyed all that words could not
We understood each other
Loved and respected
Trusted, honored and revered
I never wanted to say goodbye
I always thought there would be a thousand tomorrows and then some
Forever and one extra day
One lifetime together would never be enough
Not enough hours in any given day
I wanted my forever’s to all be with you
I was not ready to say goodbye
I do not think it is possible to ever be ready or prepared.
I never thought I could let you go
But even in your final moments you taught me one last lesson
That when a love is as great and true as ours was
When you love someone more than you love yourself
Then you can let them go
When staying isn’t fair or right
I wanted you to stay for me
I loved you too much to make you do that
There were more angels in that room when we said goodbye
More angels than in those thousands of tomorrows and then some
And then you were gone
At first it seemed gone forever – no part of what we shared
Recoverable
But in time I found your lasting gift
Your love remained in my heart
Your legacy of life and love now intertwined with mine
You were never really gone
You are the sunshine that peeks through the clouds on my darkest days
You are the warmth that surrounds me in the chill of the night
You accompany the smile that creeps across my face as the leaves crunch beneath my feet on a late Fall day
You walk with me – sometimes sitting atop my shoulder, sometimes following in the shadows cast by the late day sun
I find comfort in that
And I will love you forever and for always
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I ONLY WANTED YOU
They say memories are golden
well maybe that is true.
I never wanted memories,
I only wanted you.
A million times I needed you,
a million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you
you never would have died.
In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place
no one could ever fill.
If tears could build a stairway
and heartache make a lane,
I'd walk the path to heaven
and bring you back again.
Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same.
But as God calls us one by one,
the chain will link again.
Author unknown
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MAKING THAT FINAL DECISION TO SAY GOOD-BYE
You're giving me a special gift, So sorrowfully endowed, And through these last few cherished days, Your courage makes me proud. But really, love is knowing when your best friend is in pain, And understanding earthly acts. Will only be in vain. So looking deep into your eyes, Beyond, into your soul, I see in you the magic, that will. Once more make me whole. The strength that you possess, Is why I look to you today, To do this thing that must be done, For it's the only way. That strength is why I've followed you, And chose you as my friend, And why I've loved you all these years...My partner till the end. Please, understand just what this gift You're giving, means to me, It gives me back the strength I've lost, And all my dignity. You take a stand on my behalf, For that is what friends do. And know that what you do is right, For I believe it too. So one last time, I breathe your scent, And through your hand I feel, The courage that's within you, To now grant me this appeal. Cut the leash that holds me here, Dear friend, and let me run, Once more a strong and steady dog, My pain and struggle done. And don't despair my passing, For I won't be far away, Forever here, within your heart, And memory I'll stay. I'll be there watching over you, Your ever faithful friend, And in your memories I'll run,... a young dog once again.***author unknown
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A Dog's Prayer
Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do.
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.
When it is cold and wet, please take me inside... for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements... and I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth... though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land... for you are my god... and I am your devoted worshiper. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.
And, beloved master, should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest...and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.
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