I have been reading one of the posts on here and I read about a hurting heart; so I thought I would do this for anyone else who is a fur-parent who has lost their beloved fur-child/hoofed-child/etc. I know what it's like as this year I had to let 3 beautiful fur-children go onto the Rainbow Bridge one (pictured in my avatar) I got when he was a tiny 2 week old kitten and I was merely 14 years old; we let him go on May 16th, 2014 and he would've been 19 years old on September 1st, 2014; then we let go our other 2 they were both 12. One had bone cancer according to the vet and the other one had problems with frequent UTIs and the Vet said it would not stop the best thing was to let him go. They were let go on September 5th and September 6th. Wesley was the almost 19 year old (pictured in my avatar), then there was Midnight he was 12 and he would've been 13 on Halloween; and then lastly Daisy (the one with bone cancer) she was 12 and would've been 13 on March 1st, 2015.

What I put this up for is to help the hurting hearts like me; as there is help online for the hurting hearts like me; we are a petloss family; but we don't just help those who are hurting because of the loss of a beloved pet we also help those who are hurting because of loosing a human family member. When we come to the petloss family as a new person we come as strangers, but when we leave the chat we are part of a huge family from around the world. Every monday night we join together as a big family to remember our beloved pets in a candle ceremony.

Not everyone knows that there is a special place in heaven for our fur-babies; but there is it is called the Rainbow Bridge; it is where they wait for us until it is our time to join them and cross into heaven together.  They are all healthy and restored, they are the same beautiful babies who still play in our dreams, gone from our lives, but NEVER gone from our hearts. I have included below the story of the Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Everyone is welcome within the petloss family, we don't conform to any religion, belief, or creed; we are just one large family helping others through the hardest time in their life having to let a precious cat, dog, horse, or such go down the path that we cannot follow them. I know how hard it is on anyone as I had to let the cat I considered my son go down that path on May 16th, 2014 and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do, I still look for him every night when I head for my bed; but the Petloss Family has been the biggest comfort to me and I know it can help every hurting heart as it has helped me; I remember in February 2010, I was bawling so hard when my mom called me telling me that our cat Tasha had gone onto the Rainbow Bridge, I couldn't even see my monitor I was crying so hard, but I heard somewhere in my heart "you gotta get to the Petloss Site! Your family there can help you!" I don't know how I even made it through those tears, I think maybe from the Rainbow Bridge Tasha was guiding me to the family I could get support from because I was home alone at the time and I needed someone to lean on.

Another thing from the site:

On Monday evenings all across the globe we light candles in memory of our pets who have gone on to Rainbow Bridge. It is a very healing ritual with no adherence to any religion or creed, just a simple lighting of candles to bring us all together.

While there is an on-line Ceremony in our Chat Room every Monday, the Candle Ceremony does not have to be done on-line. Each of us can light our candles in our own way, and privately, but since we share a common love and since most of us do light them at the same time, we are joined in love and in spirit.

If there are hurting hearts here like me; you can find the family at http://petloss.com/ I am called WesleysWolf2 there or turn to any other Wolf espeically LoboWolf; you won't be treated as a stranger; you will be welcomed as like a member of our family.  The ceremony is at 10 pm eastern standard time on Monday nights; however if that is not a good time for you we have a ceremony on the second Sunday of each month at 3 pm eastern standard time.

I hope this can help any hurting hearts as the family has helped me in the past 7 years that I have been with them; they have helped me through the hardest times in my life loosing my fur-babies, but now it's time for them to also help any other hurting hearts as they have helped me down that path; they will also support you if you are making that hard decision of letting your fur-baby make that journey onto the Rainbow Bridge.

Thank you for sharing this!  And sorry for your loss.  It's terribly sad to lose a pet :(

I still cry like a baby every time I read rainbow bridge!

I'm sorry for your loss :(

So sorry for your losses.  It was nice of you to start a forum to help bring us together during sad times. :(

rip to my baby boy, Dodger. I love you and miss you so so much! 

I lost my beloved cat Ludwig a few months ago and now my childhood doggie on Saturday. (Nov 9th)

It's true that your heart continues to hurt, like it's an anvil in your chest. Always you'll look at other peoples pets and see your own. It's not really any different than losing a family member or friend, your pet was with you through good times and bad, just the same. They're irriplacable, no animal can have the same cute or funny tendancies that your previous one did, never quite as perfect. I'm at the point that I don't think I could bring myself to take on another new pet for a long time, but I know that I will. That's what we animal fanatics do, we continue to put ourselves through the pain of losing for the sake of loving them while they're here. Our hearts and families are never complete without them.

I think it may be helpful to write a little about our lost ones. I know myself that I don't talk about them much normally to people including my husband or family, because it just stirs up incredible pain. But maybe that is what I need, to tell people about them, even if nobody really reads this. Just to put it out there.

Ludwig AKA Murray :
He gained the nickname Murray because not everyone was comfortable calling him a mouthful of a name like Ludwig, including my 4yr old daughter. He never really 'meow'ed like a regular cat, instead he would do a high picthed 'murrrrr' more like a kitten, despite being an above average 16lb Manx mix, so 'Murray', or 'Murmur' it commonly became (unless he was in trouble of course, then he recieved his full name like we parents often yell). He and his brother both had 'stump' tails about 2 inches long as their father was full Manx. Ludwig would spin his stump around like a hellicopter when he'd get excited. EVERYONE loved Murray. I also own his full brother from an earlier litter but the spotlight always ended up on Ludwig for anyone that met him. He truly thought he was a dog. He had to stay in indoor cat not only because his brother broke his leg and had to stay inside, but also because I feared he was just too brave to be outside. He would challenge anyone and anything. Friends would come over with large dogs and Ludwig would run right up to them and stare them into submission. You couldn't scare him like a regular cat with quick movements and noises, he would just look at you like you were weird while his brother would run for the furthest corner of the house in fear. He was a serious tough guy, protector of his older, bigger (20lbs), broken brother with perminent pins in his leg. Latka (his brother) would beat him up and Ludwig would take it, despite being clearly stronger and capable of murdering Latka, and then afterwards Ludwig would groom Latka. He was just full of patience. Not only for Latka, but for kids! I always said he should be a therapy cat for kids who have developmental issues. Kids could poke, prod, taunt, and Murray would come back for more with love. Never bite, hiss or scratch. He would lick you like a dog, he fetched balls like a dog. He couldn't get enough of fetching. For hours I would throw his bouncy ball, he'd do a flip and catch it or chase it, then bring it back in his mouth, drop it at my feet and meow for me to throw it again. He ate weird things! He never liked wet can food, poultry, fish or dairy, but he would eat raw carrots and pickles if they were dropped on the floor.
The hardest part about his passing is that I wasn't there for it. In order to have my family together (daughter and husband, he's american and i'm canadian) i had to leave my pets with friends in Seattle while we moved to Alabama to work on my American legal documents. I couldn't keep them where I am in Alabama with my inlaws. Ludwig was almost 10 years old, as vibrant as he was I thought he'd live forever (or at least a ripe old 18). But Ludwig had a problem with eating weird things as I mentioned earlier, this sometimes included plastic grocery bags, for which he had already had one surgery to remove a blockage about 5 years ago. I don't know exactly how he died, but I think it's fair to assume he ate something he wasn't supposed to in the middle of the night, because he was healthy in every other way. I fear he felt alone and abandoned by me when he passed and I don't think I will ever be able to forgive myself. And now his poor brother continues to live there, and there is nothing I can currently do to get him and keep him myself.


Neeko AKA Sneeker Pimp :

Neeko was a rescued black Lab x Irish Wolfhound.  My family adopted him as a puppy once he was weaned from his rescued black lab mother. He looked FULL black lab when he got him, with one white front paw. It wasn't until he hit his awkward 'puberty' we called it, at around 6 months old, the he started getting crazy grey, wirey hairs everywhere. By a year and a half he had full grey eyebrows and looked more terrier/wolfhound than lab. He was just a little larger than lab size. We called his mothers original foster and the SPCA that we got him from to see if they had any insight about the mysterious second breed, and apparently there was an irish wolfhound that lived down the street from the mother dog... oh boy! I can't speak much for wolfhounds because I haven't been around many of them, but Sneeker was the most brilliant dog I've ever known. I worked in a dog daycare, a boarding kennel and have owned many dogs, but he was something else! He could learn anything in a day or two, including the difference between his 'white paw' and his black one. I would say 'white' and he'd lift his white paw, or 'black' and he'd lift the other. Say 'black' 5 times in a row and he'd keep lifting that one. He would dance this way. He did any trick but would never fetch, he'd seemingly roll his eyes when you'd tell him to go get the ball/stick/frisbee. As a teenager, I taught him to pull me on my skateboard. I'd harness him up and away we'd go, I even taught him to turn. (I'd never make him pull me uphill or anything and I'd get the skateboard moving myself so he only had to keep up the momentum). I didn't have to worry about him taking off across the road or in the wrong direction, he didn't care for the other dogs on the way, and I think he felt this was his 'job' and he'd give it his full attention. When we both got older I retired the skateboard and he decided his job then was to hold his own leash in his mouth. He would use his nose and gather it up on the ground and grab it in his mouth so it wouldn't drag. He'd never leave my side unless I told him to. Him and I went everywhere. I went through a lot of hard stuff in my teenage years, I would often leave the house for 2 days at a time with my backpack full of food for Neeko and I. I would bunk at friends places and my dog would too, never bothering their pets or parents despite his large size he was full of manners. Dont think he had a hard life because I did, he was indeed spoiled. He got pretty fat for a while, my friends parents would give him steaks and endless attention and he soaked it all up. I'm sure he saved my life a few times, when I thought I was invincible and could wander the streets in bad neighbourhoods at all hours. I'm sure having a large, wild looking beast at my side who would growl at anyone who even looked at me funny scared off more than one predator. Speaking of 'growling', he loved to do the weird howly thing that hounds do. He loved to chase squirrels and when he'd tree them he'd howl like a maniac, so crazy that he sounded like someone screaming sometimes! Soo funny. When I became pregnant in my mid twenties, I was terrified as most first-time-moms often are. Financial concerns, my boyfriend wasn't a citizen of the same country as I was so we were at the constant mercy of border guards. My dog of course knew this, he knew I was pregnant before I was. My bedroom was downstairs in an odd sort of suite, and you had to go upstairs to use the bathroom or for him to get to the backyard to do his thing. Despite having arthritis pretty severly in his back legs, I couldn't keep him upstairs. He'd follow me up and down those stairs every time I had to go pee (which is a lot when you're expecting). He would lay on the end of my bed like my guardian. I finally gave up and brought his food and water bowls downstairs, but even then he wouldn't eat unless I got off the bed too and stood beside his dishes.
He was put to sleep 2 days ago by my mother and father in law at age 15.5. Pretty darn old for a dog of his breed(s). His arthritis had become so bad that he needed to be carried down the stairs to go potty, couldn't walk on linoleum. His pain was obvious when he'd get up or lay down. My parents recently bought a new house and there was no way he'd benefit from moving. He was just done. Anesthesia was the right thing to do. But again, like Ludwig, I couldn't be there for it. It's just the worst.

Thank you for reading my novel. I applaud you if you made it all the way though. You've helped me in my healing process. Feel free to message me ANY time if you need to just talk about your lost pets. We can exchange contact info. We'll all get through this, somehow. They will never be forgotten.

Much love.
- glitch / mel

bless you glitch; thank you honestly for telling your story of your 2 'fur-children' yes I read every word of it and it was beautiful.  I would like that the contact thing. We always  wish they would live forever; but it neve happens.

Today is a dark day in the family.... my mothers dog just passed away while vets were trying to figure out whats wrong... he had heart failure and it was to late... im stricken with sadness not only for the loss of him... he was my mothers companion during her depression.. they had a bond that only a few understand... I loved him so much... 

my heart is so broken.... i cant stop crying