Rainbow Bridge

Unlike most days at RainBow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All the recent arrivals were confused and concerned. They had no idea what to think for they had never experienced a day
like this before. But the animals who had spent some time waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was happening and began to gather at the pathway leading to the Bridge to watch. They knew this was something special.
It wasn't too long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung heavy and low with tail dragging along the ground. The other animals on the pathway...the ones who had been at RainBow Bridge for a while...knew the story of this sad creature immediately. They had seen it happen far too many times.

Although it was obvious the animal's heart was leaden and he was totally overcome with emotional pain and hurt, there was no sign of injury or any illness. Unlike the pets waiting at the Bridge, this dog had not been restored to his prime. He was full of neither health nor vigor. He approached slowly and painfully, watching all the pets who were by now watching him. He knew he was out of place here. This was no resting place for him. He felt instinctively that the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be. But alas, as he came closer to the Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who spoke softly to the old dog and apologized sorrowfully, telling him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their special people could pass over the RainBow Bridge. And he had no special beloved people...not here at the Bridge nor on Earth below.

With no place else to turn, the poor elderly dog looked toward the fields before the Bridge. There, in a separate area nearby, he spotted a group of other sad-eyed animals like himself...elderly and infirm. Unlike the pets waiting for their special people, these animals weren't playing, but simply lying on the green grass, forlornly and miserably staring out at the pathway leading to the Bridge. The recent arrival knew he had no choice but to join them. And so, he took his place among them, just watching the pathway and waiting.

One of the newest arrivals at the Bridge, who was waiting for his special people, could not understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the pets who had been there for some time to explain it to him.

"That poor dog was a rescue, sent to the pound when his owner grew tired of him. They way you see him now, with graying fur and sad, cloudy eyes, was exactly the way he was when he was put into the kennels. He never, ever made it out and passed on only with the love and comfort that the kennel workers could give him as he left his miserable and unloved existence on Earth for good. Because he had no family or special person to give his love, he has nobody to escort him across the Bridge."

The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?"

As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the all-invasive gloom lifted. Coming toward the Bridge could be seen a single figure...a person who, on Earth, had seemed quite ordinary...a person who, just like the elderly dog, had just left Earth forever. This figure turned toward a group of the sad animals and extended outstretched palms. The sweetest sounds they had ever heard echoed gently above them and all were bathed in a pure and golden light. Instantly, each was young and healthy again, just as they had been in the prime of life.

From within the gathering of pets waiting for their special people, a group of animals emerged and moved toward the pathway. As they came close to the passing figure, each bowed low and each received a tender pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. Their eyes grew even brighter as the figure softly murmured each name. Then, the newly-restored pets fell into line behind the figure and quietly followed this person to the Bridge, where they all crossed together.

The recent arrival who had been watching, was amazed. "What happened?"

"That was a rescuer," came the answer. "That person spent a lifetime trying to help pets of all kinds. The ones you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of such unselfish work. They will cross when their families arrive. Those you saw restored were ones who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are permitted to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor pets that couldn't place on Earth across the Rainbow Bridge. You see, all animals are special to them...just as they are special to all animals."

"I think I like rescuers," said the recent arrival.

"So does God," was the reply.

--Author Unknown

 

Be a Rescuer - Click below:

3 Bear Cubs Rescued from Dumpster

Sue Ann of Sams Fur Kids submitted this video for Alice of Making Stuff With Love.

Please Allow Me to Brighten Your Day!

This post comes from Sue Ann of SamsFurKids.

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. The dog had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had quite clearly been abused. 

In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in need. 

Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

Jasmine, however, had other ideas. No one quite remembers how it came about, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It would not matter if it were a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or hurting animal. Jasmine would just peer into the box or cage and, when and where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.

Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre, and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them." 

"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them, and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surround ings. She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, fifteen chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and fifteen rabbits - and one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, eleven weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster-mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection, and makes sure nothing is matted.

"They are inseparable," says Geoff. "Bramble walks between her legs, and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."

Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.

Pictured from the left are: "Toby", a stray Lakeland dog; "Bramble", orphaned roe deer; "Buster", a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; "Sky", an injured barn owl; and "Jasmine", with a mother's heart doing best what a caring mother would do...and such is the order of God's Creation. 
So you can pass this story on, and maybe make someone else's day to be just a little brighter!

SICSA Dogs Playing

SICSA is a wonderful organization working to help homeless dogs and cats in the Dayton area get adopted.  Here's a video they posted of two dogs from their shelter playing in the fresh air!

Indie (the black doggie from the video) will be participating in a 5K for SICSA with a new human friend who has been helping her train.  If you'd like to take a look at their story or donate to their run, click here.

Looking for a new home...

This was emailed to me on 7/25/11, so I don't have an update on their status, but per the email I received:

Their current owner has to find homes for them because of her current housing situation changing. She loves both of these dogs very dearly and is heartbroken over not being able to keep them. She would prefer that they stay together, but they can be separated if necessary. First is Ozzy, he is a 4 year old Toy Fox Terrier. He is very intelligent and loving. The other one is Brandy, she is a 6 year old Papillon. Brandy is also very loving and funny. Both are housebroken, up to date on all of their shots, and spayed/neutered.

They currently live in the Dayton, Ohio area, i believe. If you are interested in adopting them or have any questions, email me at petsjubilee@live.com and I will contact the sender of the email.

This just breaks my heart. Please help if you can. Thank you :)

Saturday Blog Hop 5/14/11 & A Story about a Cat & the winner of our blog giveaway

Gail of BritmericaLaneHandcrafts entered our photo contest last month with videos of Teddy and Snowball. We emailed back and forth quite a bit about Snowball. I thought it was a great story and wanted to share it with you:

Snowball spent over a year outside as a feral cat. When we saw her out there, we would take a bowl of food and put it out in the open hoping she would find it. It was months before she would allow us to touch her. We fed her for 3-4 months before catching her in a trap to get her neutured.

Shortly after she was neutured, on a nasty rainy day, I put her bowl of food inside the door of our sunroom so that she had to come inside to get it. (This is a picture of her meeting Sooty, another of our cats). Snowball would sit in a potted plant that sat on a small pedestal, so she could see inside. After a few days I started to shut the door behind her which at first freaked her out.




After a while she got used to it until another rainy day, I just kept her inside and the rest is history - she has been in ever since and is now the happy cat.

Now she has been indoors for about a year.

She loves to play with HER toy - we have 4 cats and she is the only one who plays with that particular one. Teddy has other toys similar and she plays with those, it was strange, but it was like that exactly what she did -teach Snowball how to play.

All of our cats (and our dog Scruffy, who recently passed away at 15 yrs) were abandoned or, in the case of our other black cat Sooty, who, we think was born in the wild also.

It took a lot of patience and time with both of them - over a period of months - for us to get anywhere near them.

I don't think that Snowball will ever be a sociable cat - she runs and hides under the bed when our son and family - or anyone come to the house. Although, when we here on holiday, she did come out of hiding when the neighbour came over to feed them all.

Now, Snowball has turned into a bit of a baby who loves attention. At night she snuggles on my lap while I am watching TV - it is almost like holding a baby.


It was a really big day the first time she touched my hand with her nose through a small fence we have - just for a second, but that was the beginning - From then on, it was a lot of baby steps all the way until she has got to where she is now.
I just like to spread the word of what people throw out and what they (the people) are missing.
There is so much abuse of animals, especially these days, it seems.

Gail
BritmericaLaneHandcrafts

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THE WINNER OF OUR BLOG GIVEAWAY FROM

DianaDesignsNY or StylinDogsBoutique
IS...

Adoruhbul Creations!!!

CONGRATULATIONS :)

You've won your choice of a custom outfit or bandanna, or any item from either shop.



Thank you so much, Diana for contributing the prize and thank you everyone for entering!

We'll have another giveaway beginning May 21st. So stop by to enter.

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And now, its time for another blog hop:

Pets of the Week

All of these wonderful pets are in need of permanent homes. If you know someone looking for a new four-legged friend, be sure to check out these links by clicking on the photos. Also, you can search for specific rescues, shelters, etc. or go to Petfinder.com for assistance in your search.



Tabby

















Keisha and Keimo










Frita













Ziggy













Corky

Puppy Size~

AngelPups Crew, here again....Another story from our "email" buddy that is just too cute not to share... Enjoy!

Puppy Size

This is one of the neatest stories you will ever hear. You will know precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (you'll want to share this one with your loved ones and special friends)!

'Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,' the mother told the volunteer.

'What is it she keeps asking for?' the volunteer asked.
'Puppy size!' replied the mother.

'Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for..' 'I know..... We have seen most of them, ' the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the office
'Well, did you find one?' asked her mom.

'No, not this time,' Danielle said with sadness in her voice. 'Can we come back on the weekend?'

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed
'You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply,' the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. 'Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend,' she said.

Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her. They both felt she was being too particular. 'It's this weekend or we're not looking any more,' Dad finally said in frustration.

'We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size, either,' Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning . By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look.. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one.
One by one she said, 'Sorry, but you're not the one.'

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

'Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!' She screamed with joy. 'It's the puppy size!'

'But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks,' Mom said.

'No not size... The sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,' she said. 'Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!'

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

'Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,' she said. Then, holding the puppy up close to her face, she said, 'Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!'


Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that
makes you sigh. It's not only found in the arms of our loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day…
They are the sighs of God. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. 'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'


We hope your life is filled with Sighs!!!

Saturday Pet Blog Hop 9/25/10

Please vote once a day from now through 10/6/10 to help the Diamond Dachshund Rescue of Texas. Click the photo below to go to the contest. Petsjubilee team member Tammy aka earlybird454 found her two darlings through this wonderful rescue. (Angel and Boudreaux were the winners of last month's PetsJubilee Pet Photo contest.)

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

Welcome Pet Blog Hoppers!

Give us a follow and we'll return the favor.

Also, if you have a moment, please take our short survey.
Click here to sign up for our email list and
Click here to see our team Pet Sampler boxes.

Rescued - By CharmingK9Designs

This is my Bridgette. Out of all of the animals that I’ve brought home to foster she was the worse case I had ever seen. First, my friends who do the rescue day in and day out are the real heroes in my book. And, every once in a while I will get a call with a special case. I’m a little embarrassed to share this part but its part of the story – some of my friends call me the Poodle Whisperer – don’t know why I’ve just always had this special affinity with poodles. But I look for that special something in their eyes. Something that tells me the light is still on…

When I met Bridgette, she had been badly beaten and abused and very under-nourished. We guessed her age to be around 2 but she was already loosing teeth because of the bad diet or just sheer lack of food that she had been getting. She was skin and bones and her hips were both completely dislocated because of the abuse. She was fear-biting. No one could touch her. Several experts said she could not be rehabilitated and she was on “last call.”

The vet who helps this particular rescue group could only wrap her hips up after popping them back in place. She was in so much pain and they put her on medication and tried to get her to eat. I decided not to touch her or try to reach in for her but instead sat beside her kennel at the shelter every chance I got – most of my Saturdays were spent reading a book out loud to her and eating a chicken sandwich that I would try to tempt her with – my whole family made a huge project out of this and would come up and sit with me – finally one Saturday this little girl came out of her kennel on her own and curled up in my lap.

I looked down at her and said “ok we can go home now.” And, yes she stayed with me. Today after two hip surgeries, lots of love, good food, she’s as right as rain. We (all 3 of my poodles now) go to the local nursing homes to visit and we attend as many shelter events as we possibly can to help raise awareness for adoptions. This message is about hope and love and we are all very thankful because these gals have been such a blessing to me. They teach me every day how to laugh and love unconditionally at a time when I’ve needed it.

We’re not asking for your vote. We just wanted to share one of our stories.

Written by Victoria of CharmingK9Designs