And bless the rescuer wherever they are in this world.

Hi my name is Leah. I rescued my little girl over 5 year's ago. She was kepted in a cat cage for over 1 year,so I just went to house and walked in and took her! She is my baby and one of god's angle's she came to me and I came to her when we both needed each other the most in our life's. I had a Yorkie for over 18 year's and never thought I could love as much as I did for him! But God knew :) she came to me 2 week's after Peedie went to Rainbow bridge! I would love to have another one no matter how old how sick! Her name is winnie :) Thank God for people like you that are there for all of these little gift's :0

God sure love's his little four legged friend's and he put them here for us to love! Just like they love us :)

In October of 2004 we were given Chester our 16yr old rescue doxie. His eyes were becoming clouded, was infested with fleas and who knows what else might have been going on at the time. My husband and I knew that God had sent Chester to us, to make certain that the remaining time here on this earth were to be filled with love, good food, and that warm place to lay his head..
Though Chester came to us at the later time of his life, it has always felt as though he has been with us from birth. He knew how to give that look , that only a dachshund knows how to give. The smirk when he realized that he got to lick dads unsocked foot.. On June 2, 2007 Chester had a grand mal seziure,with that we were told was brain cancer. Our vet, whom I truly believe is one of Gods unsung heros told us that we would probably only have two weeks before the cluster of seziures would likely happen. We were blessed with an extra week before we had to render Chester back to the waiting arms of God. It has been the most empty feeling looking around knowing that he wont be with me, but after reading about the Rainbow Bridge, I know that Chester didnt have to wait to cross over the bridge to enter the wonderful life that is his now. I would certainly do all of this again. Puppies are wonderful, but there is just something so special about a senior dog..thank you for allowing me to ramble on about Chester..God bless to those of you who have senior dogs and to those who are getting ready to do it all again.. With love dena

Now I know why I do what I do and why I can never stop.

I found a poor, thin cat on the street about 6 months ago. When I took her to one vet, they said she was at least ten years old and not worth keeping. They treated her like she was worthless. Despite what they said, I kept her (and switched vets). She had a lot of issues and seemed to have constant infections, but we kept her on medications and she was happy. She loved to sit on laps and chase toy mice around the room. Last night (11/13/07) she died at around 3am. I have only had her for a month, and yes the medications were not cheap (they weren't too expensive either) but she was happy and I do not and will not EVER regret taking her in and loving her. I hope where ever her spirit is now that she is happy and playing

A few months ago as i was coming home from late night coffee with friends. I was driving down a fairly dimly lit side street. To my horror I saw a body of a cat in the road. I immediately pulled my brand new car off to the side of the street to check to see if the poor thing was alive. I was shocked and very upset at the time to find that she was. She looked as if she had been hit multiple times and left for dead. I do not know how long she had lain there waiting for help. I quickly loaded her into my car making her as comfortable as possible and I drove as if I was being chased to our local 24hr emergency vet. Racing as fast as I could i got there in about 5 mins. A normal 10 min + drive. Sadly as I took her in she let out her last breath. I handed the on call tech a lifeless body and apologized that I didn't do enough or make it in time. I am nearly sure though that had she gotten the initial attention that she needed she would've lived. The vet tech smiled knowing that I was upset and assured me that I did all that I could of and far more than most. Although I am still not sure I did feel better knowing that at least I did something. I hope that one day I too will see that gray cat at the rainbow bridge. Even though I knew her only in her final horrible moments. I did love her as I do all animals.
Jason.

For what so ever you do for these the least of my Brethren, you have also done for me....Jesus Christ. I can not aspire to save souls but I can save cats and dogs.

I adopted Cooky and Gunther, a senior pair, in 2006 after losing my beloved Sadie the year before. Cooky was a real diva, with only 3 feet, the result of an altercation with a larger dog. Gunther was surrendered to rescue because his owner fell on hard times. We later found out that he had been abused by her teen-aged son, thus his fear of men. All I saw whent they came to visit was 2 sweet little pups that needed a home, and took them both. Sadly, my husband had a stroke in 2006, and passed on in 2007. But he brought Gunther out of his shell with his love and spoiling, and taught him to be a sweet, loving little boy. Gunther is now 12, and his beloved Cooky passed away on Feb. 2 as a result of old age (she was 14). She remained a diva 'til the end, giving Gunther heck for sitting in the wrong spot on the blanket 1 hour before she went to the Bridge. I will adopt another senior sometime in the future, but my point is that rescue dogs are the best, no matter what they bring with them to your home. As my husband showed us, all it takes is love and spoiling.

We rescued our good luck charm Juliet (JuJu) in 2002. She was almost two years old at the time. We also had our Cleo (rescued @ age 5) at the time. Cleo passed due to disk desease, only months after Juliet came to our family. We had our JuJu for six years, and she gave us one litter of pup's. (it was an accident, but none the less a blessing.) Today, Juliet passed... leaving only her puppy Molly (now three y.o.)to consoul us. I've been on both sided of the fence. The older rescues are just as loveable as the young pup's. And there is just something about Doxy Love. My heart will never recover from the loss of my girls. But what Joy they bring to us. God Bless ALL of the rescuer's, and doxy's.

As a rescuer who couldn't save them all, this story keeps me going. I've shared it many times and wish I knew the person's name who wrote it. It is incredibly beautiful.

Peace,
Jane and the Hole in the Wall Gang

I stumbled on the web-site and after reading what others had to say I felt that I had to tell my story. In January of 2004, my youngest brother was killed in a car accident, since my Mom had been dead for several years it was me, my oldest brother, and my Dad,and Dad was getting up in years. I don't think that he ever really understood that his baby boy was gone, as he often asked for him and during the last few months of his life he would tell me that he had been to visit him in the hospital. In July of that year, my best friend had a massive coronary and died suddenly. We had put Dad in the VA hospital in May and he was slipping, just hanging on, it was getting harder and harder to see him like that, so one evening when I went to see him I told him that if he was staying around because of me he should go and be with Mom and rest. Dad died a few weeks later, in September, the day before my birthday. I will never forget that he told me if he wasn't there I would have no family. I reassured him that I would be O.K. but needless to say I wasn't. The next several months were terrible, then in March a friend and I went to another town to do some shopping, there was a car on the parking lot that had a sign, "Yorkies for sale, cheap. I did not want to look at the puppies but my friend urged me to at least take a look. The guy was really nasty looking, he had the puppies in a dog crate in the back seat, there were several in there, but only one looked up when we walked up, she was a tiny little thing, and she looked me right in the eye, she was asking me to help her. Needless to say, she went home with me, when I took her to the vet, she had worms, and was undernourished. The vet said that I had rescued her, that she probably would not have lasted much longer. Today she is just a little over a year old and is healthy and full of life. I know that my Dad sent her to rescue me, I know that his terrier Danny was waiting on him just this side of the Rainbow Bridge and that they crossed over together. I named my little dog Tiny Tuffie, because she had to be tough to survive, I know that my Dad probably knew that we were both in bad shape and needed each other, and he sent her to me. Thank You Daddy, Tuffie and I both send our love.

Hi,

I have one little dachshund/Chihuahua rescue living with me now. His name is Fritz Francis, and he is about six or seven. His little muzzle is starting to turn white. He is a love.

Today I retired, and sometime very soon, I hope I'm going to have another little dachshund sharing my home. I believe I've been approved to adopt little Eli, and he appears right now on this site.

Eli is 10, and I guess he was not appreciated as he should have been. He will be loved with all of my heart when he comes to our house. I've always had animals, and they mean the world to me.

Char

So stop for thoses who are lost and lonley
Stop for those who are hurt and damaged
Stop for those who have been hit and left on the road side
for even they deserve the dignity of a burial-and there
maybe information on them so there best friend knows
what has happened to them-and they wont be suffering
for there missing little friend.
Valencia

I had a baby girl named Betty who liked 2 days being 15 years old when she went to the Rainbow Bridge. I had her since she was a puppy. She saved my son from a fire and was the delight of my life. She loved to go fishing with me. She was diagnosed with kidney failure and it just about killed me to part with her. My vet advised me to put her down before she had seizures. She had quit eating and most of her body had shut down but her heart and her lungs. She was so sick she couldn't stand up. I would have gladly traded places with her. She was the sweetest little dog and had the sweetest disposition even when she was sick. Some people think I am nuts but I had her picture made and I am going to put it on my wall along with some of her stuff. I may get another doxie but I will always miss her. No matter how sick she was she would always wag her tail when my husband or I would pet her or talk to her. She was the first dachshund I ever had that liked water. She would get in the water up to her chest and guard the fish in the fish basket. She even caught her own fish one time. She was a longhaired black and tan. I hope she crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and is up there with the male who didn't survive the fire and that she is young and strong again and happy. I have a locket with her picture and hair in it. I wear it when I go fishing. She went o the Rainbow Bridge on my birthday. I loved her so much that I could not watch her struggle to stand and know she was miserable and in pain. I love you Betty girl. Mama and Daddy miss you and would like to have kept you forever healthy. Hope she is there to meet us when we go.

Jane,

Click on the link in the introductory statement and you'll be taken to the very first publication of the story. The authors name is there. It was published here without his name so that it would gain more exposure, not because the author wanted credit for his work.

Yes, I know who the author is and yes, I know that it's his original work. Even though it's been re-published and re-written by several people, it doesn't take away from his intended message - that even though we can't save all of them does not mean that those we couldn't save can't cross The Bridge with someone to love (and who will return that love) forever. My only problem with the original Rainbow Bridge story was that it only addressed what happens to peoples beloved pets. This story answers that question for me.

Benny

I am at work and this story just brought tears to my eyes.