The idea that beloved pets who’ve left this life go to a beautiful, happy place on the way to Heaven called the Rainbow Bridge is now a commonplace in the English-speaking world. Indeed, it is by now so well accepted that many people sincerely believe that there is a place ‘this side of Heaven’ where pets play together as they await their owners to one day join them. And, they take tremendous comfort from the notion.

The origin of the Rainbow bridge is in the imagination of the author of a poem that has circulated anonymously for about 60 years. Various parties have come forward to claim authorship of the poem, but after a thorough investigation a few years ago, National Geographic identified her as Edna Clyne Rheky, a Scottish lass, who is now in her seventies.

Getting past the grief of losing a beloved pet can be very hard, especially if the pet’s death was difficult. When our darling animals die due to injury or illness it is almost impossible to shift our thoughts away from their suffering: we love them, therefore we empathise with them. And, very, very often, we feel tremendous guilt for their death and suffering. But new insights into death, or rather into near-death, might be able to offer us some consolation. Perhaps what your pet experienced while dying was gentle, and sweet, and what they lived, in that moment, was filled with compassion?

Giving a pet memorial as a gift to someone who has lost their beloved pet is a delicate process. Here, we look at the different stages of grief and options for giving custom pet memorial gifts. My Beloved Pet creates pet memorial gifts in Australia.

Tell the world as much as you can, in as few words as possible, all the reasons why you loved your pet.

Overcoming the loss of a pet can take time, and the mourning process will be different for everyone. Here are some things you can do to help process the grief over the loss of your pet.

The grief when losing a pet can be devastating, as I know from my own experience. A few years ago, my beloved cat, Silverstar, at home here in Adelaide, became very ill while I was in Carmel, California, visiting my Mum.

Pet memorial ideas help you to commemorate your pet, your relationship with them and create a space for precious memories in your home. The process of creating a pet memorial can also help you to deal with losing a pet.