The Rainbow Bridge is a work of poetic prose that describes a beautiful, imaginary place where our pets wait for us when it is our turn to leave this life. It is unclear who wrote it, but it seems to have been traced to some time in the 1980’s. To print a certificate of the Rainbow Bridge that you can personalize for your pet, please click on the yellow butterfly.
Please enjoy a slide show of the Rainbow Bridge poem by clicking on the image below. This is a large file and may take a few seconds to download; hopefully you will find it comforting and worth the wait. Remember the happy times you spent with your sweet friend, and always know that they felt your love.
The Long Road Author Unknown
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?” “This is heaven, sir,” the man answered. “Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked. “Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open. “Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked. “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.” The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree, reading a book.
“Excuse me!” he called to the reader. “Do you have any water?” “Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there”. The man pointed to a place that couldn’t be seen from outside the gate. “Come on in.” “How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.”There should be a bowl by the pump.”
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the dog bowl and took a long drink himself. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked. “This is heaven,”was the answer. “Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was heaven, too.” “Oh, you mean the place with the gold streets and pearly gates? Nope! That’s hell.”
“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?” “No. I can see how you might think so, but we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who’ll leave their best friends behind”.
Submitted by Dr. Maurice Schwartz of blessed memory on January 21, 2000.
“For the fate of the sons of men & the fate of beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, & man has no advantage over the beasts; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, & all turn to dust again. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward & the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?”
Kohelet 3:19-22 [Ecclesiastes]