A few months back my wife and I had the heartbreaking experience of losing a dear family member; our dear Chihuahua — Min Pin mix dog, Brody, which we had cherished as a part of our family since he was a puppy. If there are really animals which have gone on in heaven, I would love to see him again!

Today crossing over the Rainbow Bridge is a popular phrase used to comfort people whose beloved pets have passed away. It is commonly believed that the phrase was first coined in the poem, Rainbow Bridge, by a grief counselor in Oregon by the name of Paul C. Dahm, first copyrighted in 1977, but published two decades later. It is likely true that he was the first one to use the saying in relation to the passing of pets. This poem included the touching lines; “Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When a pet dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.”

However, the term was around much earlier. It was also used as the title of a 1905 book by Frances Margaret Fox: The Rainbow Bridge: A Story. In fact, Chapter 23 is titled, “How Marion Crossed the Rainbow Bridge.” But wait, this concept may have been based on the Bifrost bridge of Norse Mythology!

The Bifrost bridge was claimed to be a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard (the realm of the gods). The first reference in print to a meadow in which pets await comfort is found in the book, Beautiful Joe’s Paradise by Margaret Marshall Saunders. A sequel to Beautiful Joe, the story of a dog from Meadford, Ontario, which had experienced cruelty from his owners. In the meadow, the dogs meet and help each other heal from the cruelty.

However, as a result of Dahm’s poem, beginning in the late 1990s, others like Steve and Diane Bodofsky, who operated a ferret rescue, took up the banner by composing a similar poem, and Irish author Aburey Flegg wrote a book on the subject; hence spreading the word worldwide. A few days ago we were able to rescue a precious puppy to help fill the void of our dear Brody. Her name is Mandy, and she is precious!