The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called 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.

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 each 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. 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 the Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...


All of our dogs (D & mine) are fine... however this is for Sadie.

Sadie was my parents dog. She was a golden lab. She initially was the dog that my dad got after his stroke. This dog went everywhere with him. To the pronto mart for morning coffee even, to the doctor's office, etc etc. Rarely was she left home. After my dad's death she became my mom's dog. She was in my mom's mind a link to my dad. Sadie helped my mom get through those initial days, weeks, months after the loss of my dad. Granted she also became a reason for my mom to go to my dad's grave and give him a talking to about his dog, but that was more due to the fact he neglected to let anyone know that she had panic attacks during storms. We learned this the hard way when she pounced on my mom in the middle of the night before the storm hit and was hyperventilating. Gee- thanks dad.

Sadie was a very sweet golden lab who only wanted to be loved. You'd yell at her for a transgression and she'd put her head down, blink her eyes at you and wag her tail at you begging for forgiveness. She and Fred (a yellow cat of my parents) had a weird relationship - I say weird, as you'd always find the two of them licking one another and laying together. It was odd to say the least. Granted Fred is an odd cat anyway.

Sadie was there when my dad died. Sadie would not let the paramedics in to take care of my dad and had to be put in his truck until he was taken to the hospital. That night when D went to the house - he found Sadie just staring at the spot where he assumed my dad had laid. She then quietly walked over to him and put her head on his leg as if to ask - "are you sure?" D said it broke his heart and it did mine because once I got home with my mom - she was still staring at that spot in the kitchen. We had to drag her away from it. My mom let Sadie sleep in the bed with her that night for the first time. Sadie slept in my dad's spot and doted on my mom. She helped my mom through those initial days and I am so thankful for her as is D.

Sadie had had a leg wound for a while that my mom had been taking her to the vet for. However after a few months of this wound still not healing my mom sought out a second opinion after Sadie attacked Fred putting a large gash in Fred's ear. This was on top of the other personality changes that she had had which made her unpredictable at best - she was suddenly destroying things in the house which she had never done and her response to Ernie, Chance and Lola was becoming unpredictable. After running more tests, prescribing more medicine and waiting for those results the results were in. Sadie had cancer and it was advanced. My mom beat herself up about this because she had been taking Sadie to another vet for months and had been told it wasn't cancer. If only... granted the outcome probably would be the same, but my mom feels awful that by the time Sadie was diagnosed it was too late to do any good. In the last month while Sadie did not appear to lose weight she had lost 20 lbs.

Yesterday June 2, was Sadie's last day on this earth. She spent her last night with my mom and my mom was with her when she passed. Sadie will be cremated and her ashes will be placed near my dad's grave. We figure that that is where he would want her to be. I am positive that animals have a place in heaven... because animals are part of God's creatures and they make humans happy... everyone has a different view of what their heaven is like - mine has a lot of animals in it as I'm sure my dad's did as well. Sadie and my dad are reunited again... I hope she gave him a big ole lick - yes she'd probably get yelled at, but I think it's fitting that he get a lick since he hid that fear of storms from all of us.

Rest well Sadie girl...