Jesus Christ...the "rainbow bridge"...I had never seen or even heard about that painting...I didn't understand what it was at first...when they put Boo...
(my schnauzer) to sleep...after we had 17 great years together...they had a picture of the "rainbow bridge" hanging on the wall...Boo was worn out...couldn't even lift his head...they gave him the shot...they left the room...I put my face within inches of his...close enough that I could feel his short ragged breath on my face...and we just stared into each others eyes...until he finally closed his for the last time...I looked at that picture and my eyes got really wet...lol...not lying...I was ready to bawl...the picture...all those pets waiting...sitting patiently in front of the stairs to heaven...anxiously waiting to reunite with their owners...the cats and dogs in the clouds...that really broke me up...even now when I see that picture I get a lump in my throat...
As an animal lover, the first time I heard of the rainbow bridge/read the poem that goes along with it, the waterworks floodgate opened.
My girlfriend decided to buy five plots at a pet cemetery near us, when we lost our first cat, she was out of town, so I had to go to the facility to sign off on the burial.
I walk in, was greeted by an employee and led to a room with chairs..................and at the front a small table and there's our cat in a small container/coffin.................holy crap.
Waterworks.
He gave me a few minutes to say my goodbyes, then he takes me up to the plot...........and to get there, you had to cross over a rainbow bridge.
Waterworks.
It was a beautiful cemetery, the guy tells me "If you have a pet buried here, you can be as well."
Waterworks.
At the top of the hill is a hole with the small box inside, the guy reads a prayer.
Waterworks.
I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it on the small box and walked away.
I was gutted.
I/we had to do that four more times and you know what, I'm glad we gave them a nice burial vs them being tossed into an incinerator.
I was there at the vet when each of them took their last breath, I was the last thing each of them saw before they passed over.
It hurt like Hell each time, but that's the price we pay for loving our pets, a price I'm glad to pay vs all the love and joy they give you back while asking nothing in return, unconditional love.
If you're not an animal lover and don't get any of this, I actually feel sorry for you.