Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow

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 Rainbow Bridge together.

--Author unknown

Angel
Angel was found by a volunteer who couldn't shake the picture of her incredibly sad face that told what an incredibly sad life she had had. Angel was rescued from a very high kill shelter in North Carolina in December, 2007. While waiting for her to be placed on the next transport to Pennsylvania, she was examined by a veterinarian to be spayed and checked for heartworm/lyme disease. Angel tested positive for heartworm disease and had a very severe case of it. She was so anemic and malnourished that heartworm treatment and spaying was out of the question until she was nursed back to good health. So, she was put on the next transport and onto a life she had never known. We had been told by the shelter that Angel had been in and out of that shelter several times. She was known as a "regular". Why did she keep coming back to the shelter? We do not know as she was such a sweet and gentle creature. Angel arrived and her foster mom realized that she had her work cut out for her. Angel was nursed back to health and had her first heartworm treatment. She almost lost her life, but survived. She had to undergo another treatment and there were great concerns to her survival, but she did. She was with her foster mom for a few months until she was finally in good enough health to be adopted. Poor Angel was adopted out twice just to be returned twice (for different reasons). After her second return, her foster mom decided that Angel's place to live would be with her. Angel lived out her remaining life with her foster mom and sadly lost her life to a unoperable chest tumor on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. She will be incredibly missed by her foster family. Her 3-legged beagle friend is still looking for her. Angel got her name because in her foster mom's eyes, she was an angel who had earned the name.

Izzie
Her foster Mom got a call that a sweet shy little terrier mix needed a foster home, and, for some reason she said yes. Something about this little dog was special. When her foster mom went to pick her up, two friends came along who were just starting to think about adopting a dog. Even though the little scruffy thing, then named Tessa, was so shy she did not want to meet anyone, they saw the potential in her and soon adopted her. After only a short six month she became very ill. She went to the rainbow bridge to wait for her Mom and Dad who will miss her forever. But Izzie knows that there will be other dogs joining them when they all reunite again!

Minnie
Dear little Minnie was heartworm positive when she was rescued from a shelter somewhere in the south. She came into rescue, but unfortunately needed to be rescued again from a group that was not treating their precious charges very carefully. She finally came to live with her foster mom who only knew she was very sick and dog aggressive. Well, once in a happy and loving home the dog aggression disappeared. But she could never quite get healthy enough to endure the heartworm treatment she needed to get better. In fact she became weaker and finally the vet said her heart was failing. We let her head to the rainbow bridge, but changed her status to "adopted" by her foster family. Every dog deserves a home, and we know she will be waiting at the rainbow bridge for us.