Remembering Your Dog Who Has Gone to The Rainbow Bridge
(We received this from a subscriber the other day, however they have no idea where the article originated at, sorry. If anybody knows the source please let us know so that we can credit them)
From birthday parties, Christmas gifts, and Halloween costumes, our pets have become a part of many family’s holiday rituals. Therefore, when these pets die, families are also considering rituals to celebrate the life they shared with their beloved pet.
First of all, when pet parent families think about the concept of doing a ritual or a service for their beloved pet, they immediately question themselves with “what will my friends think? Will they think I’m crazy?” The real question is “who cares what THEY think.” What do you want to do?
Consider this blog a piece to give you permission to do what you want to do to honor your pet. People will always have opinions; everyone knows that! But this process of a ritual for you and your precious pet is what will give you peace in honoring the beautiful life you shared together and how you want to remember that life. This is ALL about you and not about anyone else. Period.
Next, really think about what you and your pet liked to do together as well as what you will always want to remember about your time together.
Did you like to take walks together to a local dog park?
You’re probably like most people. It seems like just yesterday that you brought that new little doggie home. And, here we are today. He’s grayed, his gait is slower and it takes more stretches to get up from the bed or floor. He’s less interested in food and playing, more interested in sleeping and his eyes are a bit cloudy.
Where did the time go?
Death is for sure a part of life. It’s one of the “when’s” that we sign up for when we get a pet. The day that we know we are on the final walk, whether it’s age or illness related. It’s that day.
The permission of today is to take “that day” and to begin to fill it with all of those things that you will want to remember. Those things that you know in your heart you will always want to have, from the recording of their special bark or meow to a photo of them in that spot they always lie in the garden.
Close your eyes for a minute and see these things. Hear these things.
What are they?
We were going to talk more about rituals in this piece. It’s important to have the rememberance rituals down before that final day as these are the events and activities that might just shape what you will do after death.
Take some time to reflect on these things. It is sad for the reality of life, old age or sickness, to happen, it’s also one that we should cherish and relish. For it really is about the entire life that we share together with our beloved pets.
It’s important to transition from the mentality of “they died” to “let me tell you how he really lived.” This is true of people and pets.
Celebrate the days they lived and you shared together.
First of all, when pet parent families think about the concept of doing a ritual or a service for their beloved pet, they immediately question themselves with “what will my friends think? Will they think I’m crazy?” The real question is “who cares what THEY think.” What do you want to do?
Consider this blog a piece to give you permission to do what you want to do to honor your pet. People will always have opinions; everyone knows that! But this process of a ritual for you and your precious pet is what will give you peace in honoring the beautiful life you shared together and how you want to remember that life. This is ALL about you and not about anyone else. Period.
Next, really think about what you and your pet liked to do together as well as what you will always want to remember about your time together.
Did you like to take walks together to a local dog park?
- Consider inviting those other animals and their families that you would see at the park to be a part of your service.
- If your dog liked to chase tennis balls, consider giving all of the doggie friends there a tennis ball in your dog’s memory. Have some fun with this; hide the tennis balls for the other dogs to find with a note attached about the balls being there in honor of your pet.
- Consider going into this field and releasing balloons or blowing bubbles in honor of your pet and as a symbolic release of their spirit.
You’re probably like most people. It seems like just yesterday that you brought that new little doggie home. And, here we are today. He’s grayed, his gait is slower and it takes more stretches to get up from the bed or floor. He’s less interested in food and playing, more interested in sleeping and his eyes are a bit cloudy.
Where did the time go?
Death is for sure a part of life. It’s one of the “when’s” that we sign up for when we get a pet. The day that we know we are on the final walk, whether it’s age or illness related. It’s that day.
The permission of today is to take “that day” and to begin to fill it with all of those things that you will want to remember. Those things that you know in your heart you will always want to have, from the recording of their special bark or meow to a photo of them in that spot they always lie in the garden.
Close your eyes for a minute and see these things. Hear these things.
What are they?
We were going to talk more about rituals in this piece. It’s important to have the rememberance rituals down before that final day as these are the events and activities that might just shape what you will do after death.
Take some time to reflect on these things. It is sad for the reality of life, old age or sickness, to happen, it’s also one that we should cherish and relish. For it really is about the entire life that we share together with our beloved pets.
It’s important to transition from the mentality of “they died” to “let me tell you how he really lived.” This is true of people and pets.
Celebrate the days they lived and you shared together.
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