rainbow bridge.htm

This page is dedicated to the memory of beloved hounds that have made the journey over the bridge.

Although they are all sadly missed, we know without doubt that they are happy and free, without pain or suffering and being well cared for until we can be with them again.

'Though lovers be lost, love shall not and death shall have no dominion' - Dylan Thomas

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AT REST
A reader wrote to the editor of his local paper, asking: “Where shall I bury my dog?"
We would say to that man that there are various places in which a dog may be buried. We are thinking now of a Setter whose coat was flame in the sunshine and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or unworthy thought. This particular Setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under 4ft of garden loam and in its proper season the cherry tree strews petals on the green lawn of his grave.
Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple or any flowering shrub is an excellent place to bury a good dog. Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer or gnawed at a flaverous bone, or lifted his head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places in life or 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 that dog sleeps. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked, and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog and all one to you and nothing is gained and nothing 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 that is well worth knowing - the one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.
(Condensed from “How Could I be Forgetting” by Ben Hur Lampman)

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Stolen by Heaven. Lost with a liver torsion. Irreplaceable and endlessly missed by us both.

Taken so suddenly with an aneurism that stopped his heart - missed so much by Jo, Bryn and Jake.

A rising star who never got the chance to become the Champion she deserved to be. Sadly missed by everyone who was privileged to know her.

A brave soldier who battled long and hard against all odds and brought so much joy to those who knew him all over the world.
Gone to play with Rainbow.

Jael lived happily in retirement in Portugal, until in late 2008 she had a hind-leg amputated due to bone cancer. She subsequently developed osteo-arthritis in a foreleg and was put to sleep to prevent further suffering. Along with her adoptive mum and dad, June and Gus, we will always remember and miss our lovely red-brindle girl.

A sweet soul who lost her brave fight against mammary/lymph cancer. Dearly loved by Daniel and Ruth, she brought them happiness and laughter on a daily basis - and several scary moments when she ran off chasing rabbits! Such a lovely character - gone much too soon, she will be so sadly missed.

I dreamt that in the afterlife I had a job on a beautiful estate making sure everything looked as perfect as it could (strange I know). Travelling down a leafy avenue I saw deep tyre tracks cutting across a green, so I thought I would stop at the closest house and ask them if they saw anyone doing this. Could they let me know so I could have a word with them?
Well I knocked on the door of this sweet little cottage just off of the green, the door swung open, at first slowly and then Addis barged out full speed, threw herself at me and nearly knocked me off my feet. She was standing on her back legs and grinning.
I had my arms around her making a huge fuss of her. I said "So you live with someone else now?" I noticed a sign over the door, it read - 'The Gamekeepers Cottage' - that made me giggle (obviously her idea of Heaven). "Well you've landed on your feet there then Huffa, I don't feel so bad losing you to a gamekeeper, you must be happy." She grinned, bounced up and down, then sadly I woke up.
It was lovely to see her so healthy, happy and her old self and lovely to think she is somewhere living her dream life.

* If you would like to know more about this subject, see Books page - 'Over The Rainbow Bridge'.

Put to sleep following a short but chronic illness brought on by the exceptionally hot June weather -

The legacy of his beautiful children will keep him alive for us but his kind old face and gentle nature will be sadly missed.

Dear sweet Lucy, we will miss your happy smiling face and ever wagging tail so much but you will be happy playing with your beloved Bailey again.

Put to sleep when the burden of osteosarcoma became too much for her to bear.

Our beautiful Zizi was put to sleep following a short illness which took away her quality of life.

You were a champion in every sense of the word Zizi. We will miss you
so much but you'll always be with us in our hearts and our thoughts. Thank you for sending your butterfly to let us know you'd arrived safely at the bridge. Play happily forever lovely girl.

To lose you less than two months after losing your beautiful mum, Zizi, was a double blow that sent us reeling. Perhaps your heart was broken too and you just needed to be with her and that we can understand. Now you're reunited and running free along with dad Bailey; Lucy and all the others. Till we meet again best boy.

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge