graphic
used with permission
RAINBOW
BRIDGE
graphic
used with permission
RAINBOW
BRIDGE
There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.
When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place, there is always food and water and warm spring weather. The old and frail animals are young again. Those who are maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other.
There is only one thing missing. They are not with their special person who loved them on earth. So, each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up! The nose twitches! The ears are up! The eyes are staring! And this one suddenly runs from the group!
You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you will take him or her in your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated!!
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WHEN TOMORROW
STARTS
WITHOUT ME
Author Unknown
When tomorrow
starts
without
me,
And I'm not there
to see;
The sun will rise
and find your eyes
All filled with
tears for me.
I wish so much
you
wouldn't cry
The way you did
today,
Remembering how
I'd lay my head
In your lap that
special way.
I know how much
you love me,
As much as I love
you,
And each time that
you think of me,
I know you'll miss
me too.
But when
tomorrow
starts without me.
Please try to
understand,
That an angel came
and called my name
And petted me with
her hand.
She said my
place
was ready,
In Heaven far above,
And that I'd have
to leave behind
All those I dearly
love.
But, as I turned
to heel away,
A tear fell from
my eye,
For all my life
I never thought
That I would have
to die.
I had so much to
live for,
So many sits and
downs to do,
It seemed almost
impossible,
That I was leaving
you.
I thought about
our lives together,
I know you must
be sad,
I thought of all
the love we shared,
And all the fun
we had.
Remember how I'd
nudge your hand,
And poke you with
my nose?
The frisbee I would
gladly chase,
The bad guy, I'd
"bark and hold".
If I could
relive
yesterday,
Just even for
awhile,
I'd wag my tail
and kiss you,
Just so I could
see you smile.
But, then I
fully
realized,
That this could
never be;
For emptiness and
memories
Will take the place
of me.
And when I
thought
of treats and toys,
I might miss come
tomorrow,
I thought of you
and when I did,
My dog-heart filled
with sorrow.
But then I
walked
through Heaven's gate,
And felt so much
at home;
As God looked down
and smiled at me,
From His beautiful
golden throne.
He said, "This
is
eternity,
And now we welcome
you,
Today your life
on earth is past,
But here it starts
anew.
I promise no
tomorrow,
But today will
always last;
For you see, each
days's the same,
There's no longing
for the past.
Now you have
been
so faithful,
So trusting, loyal
and true;
Though there were
times you did things,
You knew you
shouldn't
do.
But good dogs
are
forgiven,
And now at last
you're free;
So won't you sit
here by my side,
And wait right
here with me?"
So when tomorrow
starts without me,
Don't think we're
far apart.
For every time
you think of me,
I'm right there,
in your heart.
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"OLIVER" - Retired Racing Greyhound
Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Dogs
International
Born
- August 1, 1996
Died
- October 12, 2004
WHAT'S LOVED, WILL NEVER DIE
There is another
side to life ...
A side we cannot
see.
Where flowers grow
with 'baby' buds,
waiting for you
and me.
For those gone
first,
the 'lucky' ones
...
They cannot tell
us why,
but look, they
send us messages,
they write them
in the sky.
We know their
names,
we feel them still,
their paws upon
our knees.
We hold them close
within our hearts
and in our memories
...
Our tears will
fall,
we miss them all.
But oh their peace
is true.
They run, they
play, look down each day,
to catch a glimpse
of you.
Who wrote the
words?
How do they go?
Nothing is ours
to keep?
Our loved ones
live
beyond earth's
life,
in heaven's
watchful
sleep ...
Grieve yes, but
then ... let go
for the flowers
on the hill,
were promised all
will bloom again
and believing so
... they will.
I thank thee Lord
for taking them,
for their hearts,
now beat anew.
And, in my
faith,
I see them play,
stars twinkling
in the sky ...
and in my faith
I do believe,
what's loved, will
never die!
author - Barbara Miller
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LIVING LOVE
If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember...
The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your young new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen that silly looking mutt in a shelter--simple because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or front room--and when you feel it brush against you for the first time--it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the many years to come.
The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will see sleep where you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your friend's diet--and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until the third day finally arrives.
And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own--on behalf of your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you---you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night.
If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your circle of family or friends will be able to understand your grief, or comfort you.
But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul--a bit smaller in size than your own---seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely days to come.
And at moments when you least expect anything our of the ordinary to happen, you may feel something brush against your leg--very very lightly.
And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend used to lay---you will remember those three significant days. The memory will most likely be painful, and leave an ache in your heart---As time passes the ache will come and go as it has a life of its own. You will both reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.
But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when---along with the memory of your pet---and piercing through the heaviness in your heart---there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have loved, and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love---like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals have wilted, this Love will remain and grow--and be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we live. It is a Love which is ours alone. And until we ourselves leave, perhaps to join our Beloved Pets--it is a Love that we will always possess.
"CASEY"
Deja's
Conqueror Casey, CDX
Born:
October 10, 1976
Died:
April 3, 1989
WHERE TO BURY A DOG
We are thinking now of a dog, whose coat was flame in the sunshine and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This dog is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree or an apple or any flowering shrub of the garden is an excellent place to bury a good dog. Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer or gnawed at a flavorous bone or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter. For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where the dog sleeps. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and the trees roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppy-hood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pastureland where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained and nothing is lost -- if memory lives.
But there is one best place to bury a dog. If you bury him in this spot, he will come to you when you call -- come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the well-remembered path, and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they shall not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he belongs there. People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth knowing. The one best place to bury a dog is in the heart of his master.
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Time To Go
The time has
come
I think you know
the Lord is calling
so I must go
I love you so much;
I wish it wasn't so
I wish I could
stay; I don't want to go
You're the best
family a dog ever had
so kind and gentle
never mean or mad
I'll never forget
the day that we met
I was so lucky
to become your pet
You opened your
door and showed me your heart
I'll never forget
you; we'll never part
You loved me and
cared for me over the years
you taught me
everything
and took away my fears
The Lord is
calling
now I must go
but before I go
I want you to know
I know it hurts
to lose a friend
but I'll always
be with you even to the end
-John Quealy
"FINNIGAN"
and "CASEY"
Lend Me a Pup
I will lend to
you
for a while a pup, God said.
For you to love
him while he lives and mourn for him when he's dead.
Maybe for twelve
or fourteen years, or maybe two or three
But will you, until
I call him back, take care of him for me.
He'll bring his
charms to gladden you and should his stay be brief,
you'll always have
his memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise
he will stay, since all from earth return
But there are
lessons
taught below I want this pup to learn.
I've looked the
whole world over in search of teachers true
And from the folk
that crowd's life's land I have chosen you.
Now will you give
him all your love Nor think the labour vain,
Nor hate me when
I come to take my Pup back again.
I fancied that I
heard them say "Dear Lord Thy Will be Done,"
For all the joys
this Pup will bring, the risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter
him
with tenderness we'll love him while we may
And for the
happiness
we've known forever grateful stay
But should you
call him back much sooner than we've planned,
We'll brave the
bitter grief that comes, and try to understand.
If, by our love,
we've managed, your wishes to achieve
In memory of him
we loved, to help us while we grieve,
When our faithful
bundle departs this world of strife,
We'll have yet
another Pup and love him all his life.
-author unknown
"DARCY"
Born: October 1, 1986
Died: April 24, 2001
OLD DOG IN A LOCKET
Old dog in
a locket
That lays
next to my heart
I will always
love you
Even though
we had to part.
You were
right
beside me
Through the
darkest of my days
It was your
kind and gentle nature
That made
me want to stay.
Now I hold
you in my arms
Your breath
still warm against my hand
Our hearts
still beat together
And I wonder
if you understand.
Through
the
hours that I held you
Before the
light did leave your soul
I knew a
way to keep you
Forever in
my hold.
I snipped
the hair from around your eyes
So I would
always see
The beauty
that surrounds me
Even in times
of need.
I snipped
the hair from around your ears
So I would
always hear
Music in
the distance
To quiet
any fears.
I snipped
the hair from across your back
To bring
me strength in time of need
And the power
of your essence
Would always
be with me.
I snipped
the hair from around your heart
That beat
in time with mine
So I would
know that love would find me
At some
distant
time.
And so,
your
life slipped out of mine
On a quiet
Spring-like day
But I knew
that a part of you
Was always
here to stay.
Old dog in
a locket
That lays
next to my heart
I will always
love you
Even though
we had to part.
author - Heather
Stamm
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"If It Should Be"
If it should be
that I grow weak,
and pain should
keep me from my sleep.
Then you must do
what must be done,
for this last
battle
cannot be won.
You will be sad,
I understand,
don't let your
grief then stay your hand.
For this day more
than all the rest,
your love for me
must stand the test.
We've had so
many
happy years,
what is to come
must hold no fears.
You'd not want
me to suffer so,
the time has come,
please let me go.
Take me where my
need they'll tend,
and please stay
with me until the end.
Hold me firm and
speak to me,
until my eyes no
longer see.
I know in time
that
you will see,
the kindness that
you did for me.
Although my tail
its last has waved,
From pain and
suffering
I've been saved.
Please do not
grieve,
for it was you,
Who had this
painful
thing to do.
We've been so
close,
we two, these years,
don't let your
heart hold back it's tears.
author unknown
"Jake"
Born:
April 29, 1991
Died:
May 8, 1999
Old Dogs Do Not Die
We have a
secret,
you and I
That no one else
shall know,
For who, but I
can see you lie,
Each night in fire
glow?
And who but I
can
reach my hand
Before we go to
bed,
And feel the living
warmth of you
And touch
your silken head?
And only I walk
woodland paths,
And see a head
of me,
Your small form
racing with the wind,
So young again
and free..
And only I can
see
you swim
In every brook
I pass....
And when I call
, no one but I
Can see the bending
grass....
-author unknown
They came into
our
lives a little bitty thing,
Full of wonder
and energy,
We laugh at their
antics and watch them sleep,
And when they
twitch,
wonder what they’re chasing,
They look at us
with soulful eyes, as if to say,
“I love you and
trust you”
We watch them
grow
into the gawky stage,
And need a brain
for each foot and tail,
We chastise them
for doing outside things inside,
And let them sneak
up on the furniture and bed,
We groan when we
have to clean up after them, and
They look at us
with soulful eyes, as if to say,
“I love you and
trust you”
Then one day
they
become the beautiful creature we envisioned,
We love to take
them places, the pet food store,
The show ring or
just a walk, all the attention they love,
They push the
envelope
and make us mad and
They look at us
with soulful eyes, as if to say,
“I love you and
trust you”
Then one day the
aches and pains take over that beautiful body,
We do all that
we can to make it better,
Trips to the vet’s
for advice and medicine,
Special food and
softer places to sleep,
Watch them warm
themselves in the sun and stay nearer to us,
They look at us
with soulful eyes, as if to say,
“I love you and
trust you”
Alas the day
comes
when they just can’t do it anymore,
We dreaded this
moment from the first day they came,
The sadness tears
us apart, but we know something must be done,
The wonderful life
is no more and every day a challenge,
In reality there
is no choice, so arrangements are made,
They look at us
with soulful eyes, as if to say,
“I love you and
trust you” ---
Farewell, my loving friend
Author: Jerry
Richardson
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