Some comfort when your fur babies cross the Rainbow Bridge:

[Are_grits_groceries]

The Fragile Circle
"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only certain immortality,
never fully understanding the necessary plan."
-Irving Townsend

More poems and such here: http://www.petloss.com/poems/poems.htm

There are also 2 great books by Cynthia Rylant. They are usually in the kid's section.
They always make me feel a tad bit better at first when my buddies pass. Then as time goes by, they bring me more comfort and gentle smiles.
I want to go to this Heaven!


My buddies are 15 years old. I got them after they were rescued from a dumpster. They have been with me through thick and thin. There has been a lot of thin like ice.

[xchrom]

1. Du rec. Nt

[BeHereNow]

2. Absolutely love the Rainbow Bridge site-

They have comforted me through many Fur people losses.
I am preparing for a few more...
My Dog fur person is failing and so is my oldest kitty boy.
Like someone told me, the only time a fur person
lets you down is when they die...

So true.
I'd be lost without my fur people.
Always have them, always will.

Trouble with my dog is she is a difficult breed to
find- and I was so lucky to get her as a puppy when my last
Jindo died. Training is essential to owning the breed and
it needs to be done at an early age.

Not sure what I'm going to do when she leaves me...
They are the BEST dogs ever!
Not well known, but fabulous none the less.
BHN

[MrMickeysMom]

4. Paws UP

... and hugs abound!

[magical thyme]

8. must you have a specific breed?

there are so, so many desperate for a home, that would be the most wonderful companions. I just learned of 2 litters of puppies at the shelter near me.

[BeHereNow]

11. Yes...Once a Jindo owner, always a Jindo owner.

But don't worry, their are MANY in need of a home
and one will find it with me.
People dump them in shelters all the time because
they don't know the breed and can't handle them.
I belong to a Jindo rescue list and that is where my next
Jindo will come from- I would never buy a pup.
People on the list are constantly scouting their local
shelters for Jindos in need of rescue.
Their chance of being adopted are next to zero
once they land in a shelter due to their tendency to
shy away from strangers. They don't "show" well
and if the shelter is not familiar with the breed, they are
often listing as "aggressive" and end up being put down.
It's really sad, because they are incredibly smart dogs-
they just instintively don't trust people they don't know.

It takes longer to establish a suitable relationship
with an older Jindo- but trust me, it's worth it.
BHN

[magical thyme]

12. they are beautiful dogs

I had never heard of them before, so just googled. It seems like they need people who are at least as smart as they are....that can be hard to find, lol. Good luck in getting your next Jingo rescue(s).

I am currently fighting the urge to adopt again. I am finishing 9 days of semi-vacation. I had been planning to spend some time volunteering at the local shelter, but was so exhausted I dropped a lot of my plans. This turned out to be a good thing, as I just read in the local paper they had not one, but two litters of puppies born in there in the last few weeks. The temptation could have been too much. Just reading the words stuck the idea in my head, and now I can't seem to get it out...

[hifiguy]

14. Gorgeous dogs.

Such intelligent and alert expression - I'd bet that they are extremely intelligent dogs. I'd never heard of them before.

[BeHereNow]

18. Off the radar smart- and so sensitive but independent.

Not for everyone though- Owning one is a lifelong
commitment which is why it is horrible to see them in
shelters. They tend to bond with one person for life
and experience deep grief if separated from that person.

Incredibly good guard dogs AND they ONLY bark
to alert you of a stranger near your/their property, which is
really great. If your Jindo barks, there is a REASON.
They would rather DIE than go potty in your house
and they hate water, but will allow their master to bath them.

They watch very closely to determine what the circumstances are
if some one comes to visit and then treat that person as they deem appropriate
based on YOUR behavior.

If it is a close friend, they are all smiles- a repair man?
Not so much, they shadow them to make sure everything is
on the up and up. They don't like strangers touching them
and will rarely take food from a stranger unless they see YOU
give the stranger the food, and even then, they are very cautious.

The Jindo has an uncanny ability to "Know" if someone is a family member,
even if they have never met them.

Unfortunately there are people who say a Jindo shouldn't
live with cats due to their high prey drive- I don't agree
because once in a home, they watch closely to see who is who,
including the cats. I have 5 cats that live in with us and
the first thing I did when I got my current Jindo was let her see
me cuddling the cats. End of discussion, she immediately
started to guard them.

They are fiercely loyal and protective dogs- I've never met
a breed quite like them.
BUT, if you do not establish who is boss with a Jindo,
they will run the house. LOL!
Too many people don't understand how they think
so they don't know how to train them, so they dump them in
the shelter. Very sad.
No bad Jindos, just bad owners.
BHN

[gademocrat7]

3. Thank you.

We lost 2 of our five Jack Russell Terriers within two weeks of each other. "Dog Heaven" is a comfort.

[Sanity Claws]

5. Through thick and thin

I loved that phrase in your post.

I adopted two cats almost 12 years ago. One was a kitten, the other a grown cat estimated at 4-5 years old. The last two years have been thin and we have grown closer.

I am so grateful for the special connection I have with my fur babies and to think that it continues after death.

[yankeepants]

6. Thank you.

I am always at a loss as to what to write in a card to a friend who has lost a beloved pet other than how sorry I am. This is a wonderful resource.

YP

[magical thyme]

7. tomorrow will be the 8-week anniversary for my furbaby

I rescued my arab from starvation and neglect when he was 4 1/2 years old, and promised him a home for life. He and his relatives had lived in a steel windowless barn, not always fed or watered while the owners' marriage fell apart for nearly 2 years before the humane society took over. Algiers and I were together through thick and thin for 22 years. He would have been 27 in May. I can still feel his head pressed to my stomach and my arms around his neck as we said goodbye.

A cyberfriend shared this shortly after:

Somewhere…Somewhere in time's Own Space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some paradise where horses go,
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.

-- Stanley Harrison

[Blue_Tires]

9. tried to read one poem, but too much dust gets in my eyes to finish it

must be allergy season and all that...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

10. I'm on the verge of tears just looking at those bookcovers....

I'm feeling fragile today. Wish I could say "See Ya" and leave work to go home and cuddle with Shrimpy.

My buddies are 15 years old. I got them after they were rescued from a dumpster. They have been with me through thick and thin. There has been a lot of thin like ice.

---our babies...so special. So precious.

[RebelOne]

15. Me, too,

Just thinking of the 3 dogs I have had that went to the Rainbow Bridge within the past 13 years brings tears to my eyes.

[Ohio Joe]

13. K&R - nt

[lapislzi]

16. One year ago, almost to the day

I posted a thread about my sugar cat, who was fighting for his life. My DU family was such a wonderful, compassionate, caring support. I will never forget that.

I am happy to report that Django the Sugar Cat is still alive, healthy, and running the house.

Thank you, DU, for helping me through that difficult time.

[liberalhistorian]

17. Thank you! I lost my sixteen-year-old beloved dog last weekend,

just a year to the day after losing a beloved old cat. While losing animals is horribly painful, they are also a blessing and a life enrichment and I wouldn't not have them just because it hurts to lose them. I can't wait to see all of the numerous animals I've lost over the years when I finally cross the Rainbow Bridge!

[Irishonly]

19. Thank you

Rainbow Ridge has helped me many times in dealing with grief. When we had to say good bye to Samson I thought I would die from the heart ache. We rescued Sam and for me it was love at first sight. He was in a no kill shelter and had been placed in several homes. We decided we would be his forever home and we were. A couple of years later we noticed he was dragging his left hind leg. We thought it was a hip problem but we were told he would lose the use of both back legs within a few months and would need to be put down. We got a harness to help him walk and then a wheelchair to help him to walk. Sam and I would walk three times a day, every day unless it was pouring. We had him for two more years. He wanted to live and we did everything we could. He had a stroke and the home care vet, who is also our regular vet came. we all knew it was time and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. My grieving process was helped and hindered by everyone in the neighborhood. Sam had a very large fan club. Rainbow Bridge helped keep my sanity