r/rainbowbridge

It’s a year since my sweet girl passed over the rainbow bridge, I miss her so much still. It’s amazing how these little dogs can fill a space & impact your life. I cherish the time we had together. Even when it hurts so deeply, I have no regrets rescuing her when she was 10. Having her for a week shy of her 15th birthday, it was one of the greatest loves I’ve ever felt. I still love this community, it brings me joy to see y’all with your furry babies. Thank you for being so supportive.

i can’t breathe. im so broken and lost. he was my soul dog. my Frankie, Fwank, Fonk, Fronk. my love. 4yrs was not enough time on this planet❤️‍🩹

But he was nicknamed Little Man.

he was about to turn 12 and his body just started really fighting against him. I got him when I was 22 and he’s been by my side helping me figure out adulthood since. he was the most gentle soul you’ve ever met, was always looking to protect and soothe every human or dog he met. i’m five days into his passing and it hasn’t gotten much easier. i’ve been asking him every morning to share his strength that he used to stay strong for me in his old age and it’s seemed to help. just wanted to send some love to everyone here that’s struggling ❤️

TW: Blood

Our dog Harper crossed the rainbow bridge on Monday 8/17/2026. I've dealt with death of pets before but Harper's death hit me different than the others I have dealt with in my life time. We got Harper way back in May of 2017 and was born 3/7/2017. She was just a puppy when we got her and like all puppies she was vocal. She cried a lot and barked a lot when she was left alone. She was the same breed (Havanese) as the other two we had at the time. We also called her Harpie and my dad called her twisted sister. Harper loved being around us she was always on my dad's lap or she was around me if I was near her. What she loved more than anything else was being outside she always wanted to be outside. She would go out and just sit on the back porch for a long time or she would go outside to bark all the time at the other dogs in the development when they barked. She didn't have little dog syndrome but she thought she could punch above her weight.

She was also a nervous dog. She barked at every little noise she heard and when we trimmed her she shook constantly even after we had been doing it for years with her. Like the other dogs we had she got into things or made messes in the house but we still loved her so much. Harper also was something of a pot stirrer amongst our other dogs. Sometimes she would go out first then wait for one the other dogs to go out and get up in their grill when they went outside. She fought with the other dogs (not always her fault) with the other dogs we had. Still for all of that we loved her dearly. When we came home if she was inside she was one of the first ones at the door waiting for us to get in or be the first ones to try and get out.

A few years ago mom decided to bring a fourth dog into the house. Harper and the youngest dog sometimes went at it mostly due to food and with the newest dog being a much larger breed it often was a struggle getting them apart when they start fighting. Sometimes they just fought when they didn't stay in their lane (the other Havanese did this too with each other Harper fought with our two at times so this wasn't something that only happened when the youngest dog came into the picture). Sometime Monday one of dogs started to cry. Harper went over to see her along with our youngest dog and they started fighting. Mom called for me and when I went into the living room there blood all over the place and Harper was the floor seriously injured from the fight. Mom took her to the emergency vets and they said they was going to okay she had three puncture wounds and they would operate to close them. Mom had come home and was going to head back a little latter that night. When she was there they said they were going to keep her since her breathing was labored when she called me and was going to bring her home the next day. Mom came back home and asked me if I wanted to head to the emergency vets. When she came back home she said that the emergency vets called and said that Harper took a turn for a worse and there was a chance she wasn't going to survive. Mom told me they were performing CPR on her. I went over the emergency vets hoping that there was going to be a miracle and tell us that she pulled through.

They put us in a room when we got there and then vet came in saying that Harper passed away. The told us that what he thinks what happened was that a blood clot likely got loose that they wouldn't have seen on the xrays and was ultimately what killed her. They asked us if we wanted to see her and we agreed to. They wheeled her body covered in a blanket and we cried when the tech left. We petted Harper and said our goodbyes to her. I told mom that she was now keeping dad company in the afterlife.

What bothered me more about this than our other dogs was that with the other dogs that we had that died over the years we had them put down when it was their time. They were sick and we didn't want them to suffer anymore so putting them down was the right thing to do. With Harper dying it was just so senseless and traumatic. Why our youngest dog tore into her I don't know. None of this had to happen Harper should still be here barking at every little thing and wanting to go outside all the time. Looking for us to pet her and wanting extra treats in the morning.

Our pup, Narwhal, passed away on November 14th. He was 15. We had him since he was a puppy. Everything happened so fast and we had to make the decision to end his pain. We thought we would still have time with him. He was sweet, loyal, silly and empathetic. Our house hasn’t been the same without him. I am so glad I found this group. I can honor him in a way that he deserved.

Kobe was 9 years old. This little dude was there for us through the worst of times and the best. His favorite activity was waiting by my bedroom door for a cookie.

He may have had a small heart but it was big for us.

Love you, buddy

The first photo was the last I'd ever take of my little girl. Izzy was hit hard by cancer earlier this year. She developed a tumor in her intestines and the cells spread throughout her inner organs. At fourteen she was still as playful as a kitten and in great health, but when she stopped eating and rapidly lost weight it was already too late.

I spent the last two weeks of her life staying in my ex-wife's apartment where she lived, and Izzy spent every night sleeping on top of me on an air mattress. She was too weak to jump up onto the bed. On the final morning she got a Churu, which she couldn't finish, and we sat on the small patio together. I still miss my special little girl. She brought more joy into my life than she ever knew and was the only reason I got out of bed on some days.

RIP Izzy Puff (Feb 29 2012-Apr 20 2026)

Edit: Thank you all for the responses. It means a lot to have so many kind people sharing support.

I lost my dog ace boy he was 3 and he was my favorite dog he was my saver I always use to wait outside 3 minutes later he would be out there licking my legs I miss you ace

Rip

My husband and I had to put our sweet boy down a few weeks ago and my heart hurts so much still. It was a somewhat sudden decision (after a lot of trying everything we could). On top of missing him, adjusting to daily life without him here, I/we are grieving the fact that he will never be able to meet our baby due this winter. He was a true gentle soul, nanny dog, and loyal companion. He would have been the best “fur brother” to our family. It now feels like there’s a hole in our “pack” without him. Anyone else trying to navigate pregnancy hormones while handling such a loss? I just miss our boy and wish we had more time with him though I know we made the right choice because of his anxiety and suffering.

We lost our wonderful dog Shadow in June to cancer. I cried for a month and decided I needed a dog to help me heal. We got Belle at 10 weeks old and it did help me heal. I poured my heart and soul into training her and playing with her and getting to know her.

Then yesterday we we lost her after a 24 hour illness that seemed to be liver related toxicity. We don’t have a definitive diagnosis and now I’m afraid to ever get another puppy. They said there was a faint positive mushroom test but it’s dry summer here and it’s not when mushrooms grow. I haven’t seen any. I don’t have other liver-toxic plants that she would have eaten as far as I know.

They ruled out parvo and lepto. They also said it might be anaphylaxis from eating a bee or a congenital liver shunt defect. I’m pretty confident she didn’t get anything toxic inside the house because she was closely supervised and we didn’t let her loose. Outside though she was obsessed with eating leaves and acorns and poop, etc.

She deteriorated so quickly over 24 hours and had liver failure causing a hemorrhaging eye and bowel bleeding. It was horrifying. The vets said there was no hope and I could see that was true so we said goodbye yesterday morning. It was heartbreaking. She was a 17 week old puppy and we loved her and needed her!!

I feel like I need to know what happened. If there was a poisonous mushroom in the yard I want to know that. I was super careful to keep her from eating things but of course she still did. I was always worried about blockages and it turned out she didn’t have a blockage but she supposedly ate something toxic. None of the things on the list are in our yard. We are in an area that gets the toxic Deathcap mushrooms but I don’t know if we have those or not and mushrooms only show up in the winter. My other dogs never bothered with mushrooms.

I do wonder if she had Pica due to a liver issue and that’s why she seemed so hungry and scavenged. I will never know. I almost asked for an autopsy but didn’t.

Sorry this is so long. I’m devastated. Belle was a feisty, hungry, bitey little puppy. But so smart. She learned about 20 commands over the 6 weeks we had her. She was so focused and fun and determined. She got annoyed when we stopped the fun training games. She didn’t like to just relax.

I don’t even know how to process this after losing my dog a few months ago and then this sweet, innocent puppy that should have grown up to be our family dog. I had Amazon packages with puppy presents arrive after she was gone. I have loads of unopened treats.

Now what do I do? I’m not ready yet but can I ever risk getting another puppy? Can I handle the stress of that fear? We have a large wooded yard and until now our other two dogs were fine.

Belle was loved. I loved her more than I realized. We didn’t have her very long and she deserved so much more. This just isn’t fair. I feel so sad for her and for us. I hated to see her suffering. She was a good girl and I told her that a lot. Even when she was not that good. She tried so hard. She wanted to be good. She was going to be an amazing dog. It’s just unbelievable that this happened.

i found a wild mouse in my house, chased by my cats. i tried to rehabilitate her but unfortunately she ended up passing away. As i sat there holding the dying mouse, the grief hit me like a wall. it was almost like being back holding my soul dog as she passed away. i am inconsolable. to see death again after she took from me what i loved most. i fear my grief will consume me whole

Benjis Last birthday 🎂.. we literally treated him
Like our child.. 👶🏾 he was!!! I miss you my dear boy!! For the rest of my life I will always remember & Love you with all my heart & Soul

It will be three weeks since I had to say goodbye and I still feel numb. Her name is as Alley because we found her scared in our alley 16 years ago. We did everything we could to find her owners but when that failed she just became ours and what a gift she was to my family.

She had some bad teeth that needed removed end of March. I worried about putting her under but her bloodwork came back good and those teeth were bothering her. Three days after tooth removal she was so sick. Vet said she was in acute kidney failure and the anesthesia must have been too much. The guilt I feel about this damn tooth procedure will haunt me for a long time. They told me that day she had a week or so. Well they were wrong .

I was up there every other day for Subq fluids, sat nine million times a day to get her to eat which became a sport and struggle , measured her water intake like it was my job, got ten meds down her a day when she fought me and never left her alone more than an hour.

She improved after a few months. Kidney numbers came halfway down. I felt so hopeful. Things were good for a while…although our days were long and often tiresome. Then on a dime it changed…just like my vet told me it might. Wouldn’t eat, drink and could hardly stand to go potty.

Took her into the vet thinking we just needed to change things up. Her bloodwork came back off the charts bad, I could see the tears in my vets eyes when she walked in to tell me. After four months of this journey i was exhausted and I knew in my heart my sweet alley was too. I realized in that moment she was holding on for me.

Had my grandson with me. We had her snuggled in her favorite blanket while we waited for my husband to get there for us to say goodbye. She was more peaceful snuggled up then she has ever been. She hates the vet but she was so calm. I wasn’t ready, I’d spent thousands of dollars and hours to do whatever she needed to get better but in that moment with one last look at me she told me she was ready…and I felt the warmth and love from her last sweet gaze in my eyes.

It was peaceful and fast and I am grateful to my amazing team for treating all of us so well. I got her ashes 10 days ago. I have her next to her brother who I know she’s with right now. My heart is broken. First time in 16 years I do not have a dog in my home. The quiet is deafening and the loneliness immeasurable.

Sorry for the novel. I don’t know where else to express how I feel that I’ve lost part of my family. A lot of people don’t understand. But her name Alley. And she saved me when I lost my Dad and she mattered so much. Just wanted someone to know

BeBe's ashes are home, and in my previous post I forgot to add the pictures of her memorial on my bed.

This is Sir Olivier Laurence. We said goodbye about a week ago at about 16 years of age. I know it was the right thing, but I’m in that “what more could I have done to buy more time” stage.

I adopted him in 2020. In our nearly six years together, we were thick as thieves. I miss him terribly.

On his instagram, we share little poems. Here is the goodbye one we shared for him:

Thank You, Friends. I Had A Wonderful Time.

Someday soon you’ll pack up my bed,
remove the gate atop the stairs.
Someday soon the vacuum may claim
the last bit of my hair.

But even when things are tidied,
I hope you always find.
The little bits of love
I sought to leave behind.

Even if you can’t hear little clicking
as I shuffle across the floor,
I hope you carry thoughts of me
with you forevermore.

In every steak you order,
should my memory occur,
I hope you keep finding the joy we shared,
like a pesky bit of fur.

A bond like ours is rare and special,
and it can always last.
You can carry my love with you,
holding present what may have passed.

We shared so much together,
and though it could never be enough,
we’ll still always have each other,
forever love, forever fluff.

Our beautiful boy passed away peacefully in his sleep. We are heartbroken, he was one of a kind, and our home feels empty without him.

I was looking for a particular screenshot on my photos and ran across this drawing I found somewhere on social media. Given how so many hearts here are breaking over the loss of their beloved pet, I thought this might provide a bit of comfort.

I found it after I’d lost all my dogs — 18 chihuahuas over a 28-year period — and it brought me a lot of solace. I’m not an artist and didn’t create it, nor do I know who did. I’m not trying to sell it. I’m just posting this to remind hurting hearts that we will see our dear companions again.