Rainbow Bridge (pets)

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An artist's rendition of the Rainbow Bridge.

The Rainbow Bridge is a place often referred to by people whose pets have died. It is the theme of a work of poetic prose written some time between 1980 and 1992, which has gained wide popularity amongst animal lovers who have lost a pet.

The belief as told in the story is that the souls of deceased pets go to a green meadow paradise just outside of Heaven. Once the pets arrive, their bodies are cured of any illnesses or injuries. They run around and play with other pets, missing only one thing – the love of their owners back on Earth. One day, the pet spots its owner arriving, they reunite and cross the Rainbow Bridge and go into heaven together, never again to be parted.

Although no major religion specifically refers to such a place for pets, the belief shows similarities with the Bifröst bridge of Norse Mythology. Its source is a story whose original creator is unknown.

In many pet-related communities and animal-related organizations, pets who have died are often referred to as being at the bridge or ATB.^[1]

The written story itself is often treated by the public as effectively being public domain, not only because no confirmation of authorship and provenance has been definitively attached to it, but also because of its wide circulation and republication worldwide.^[2] Copyright resides in an authored work and would be enforceable if provenance and authorship were ever to be definitively decided.

1 Authorship and background
2 Rainbow Bridge Story
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Authorship and background

Having been circulated and attributed sufficiently widely around the world, the original authorship of the poem is now uncertain. About.com suggests that there are three known contenders at present:

Paul C. Dahm, a grief counselor in Oregon USA, said to have written the poem in 1981, copyrighted it in 1994, and published it in a 1998 book of the same name. [1]
William N. Britton, author of Legend of Rainbow Bridge (1994, ISBN: 0964501805)
Dr. Wallace Sife, head of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, whose poem All Pets Go to Heaven appears on that website as well as in his book The Loss of a Pet.

The first mention of the "Rainbow Bridge" story on the internet is a post on the newsgroup rec.pets.dogs, dated January 7, 1993, quoting the poem from a 1992 (or earlier) issue of "Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League Newsletter", which in turn is stated to have quoted it from the Akita Rescue Society of America. Other posts from 1993 suggest it was already well established and being circulated on the Internet at that time, enough for a single line quote to be expected to be recognized by other newsgroup readers.

As of October, 2007, email with Barbara Bouyet, the founder of Akita Rescue and publisher of the newsletter in question, has verified that the Akita group did publish the Rainbow Bridge story prior to 1993. "I published the original story in an ARSA Newsletter before 1993. I would have to dig them all out to see the exact date." Bouyet is in the process of searching for the original newsletter. As to origins, Bouyet states "I cannot take credit for it and honestly, I think I found it in an animal rights newsletter. The animal rights newsletter was published by a woman named Virginia something and she was in her late 70’s more than 20 years ago so forget about getting an origin [from Virginia]. You could say it was reprinted by the ARSA Newsletter." The email exchange has been preserved and may be verified by contacting Kenneth Brown, krbrown@positrakinc.com, the other party to the email communication with Bouyet.

Natural and mythical Rainbow Bridges exist elsewhere, for example, the natural Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Utah, and the Rainbow Bridge legend told by the Chumash people of Santa Cruz Island. ^[3]

In addition, The Rainbow Bridge refers to a bridge that bridges the gap between war to peace in the 21st century. Further details on this bridge, which is based on universal principles and common ground in the world's religions, can be found at http://www.TheRainbowBridge.TV

[edit] Rainbow Bridge Story

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

[edit] References

^ For example here (a German Shepherd breeder's website) and here(an Animal Sanctuary website).
^ A Google search for notable phrases from the poem indicates that as of December 2006, the poem has been republished in full some 25,000 - 28,000 times on web pages, and around a further 700 times on newsgroups.
^ See: this page