Happy Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day! Yes, the act of losing our best friend and devoted pet is one that brings great sadness, but in keeping with the Rainbow Bridge story, isn't the concept of meeting your beloved pet(s) again wonderful? It doesn't matter what religion or faith you follow. Who doesn't smile at the thought of meeting up again with that great dog, cat, fish, hamster or ferret that you lost way too soon. We never get enough time to spend with our pets, so having the hope of seeing them again makes our hearts smile.
Animal lovers like you cheered on Thomas Neil Rodriguez this past May when he took his 16-year-old mixed-breed bestie Poh on the road trip of the century to check off the bucket list he had mentally made for the two of them. Poh was facing kidney failure and Rodriguez decided to make the most of Poh's time.
It all started when Thomas wanted to take Poh to California to swim in the Pacific Ocean. Thomas and Poh are New Yorkers, so seeing the rest of the country was an exciting idea. Rodriguez created a social media journal of the entire trip via Instagram, documenting Pohs visits to such iconic stops as the Washington Monument in Washington D.C., the Hollywood Sign in California and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, during their seven week, 12,000 mile, 35 city trek, crisscrossing the country, according to Today.
"The initial goal [of the trip] was just to get him into the Pacific," Rodriguez wrote. "It was pretty amazing. Poh loved the water. His energy was through the roof that day. When he first got there, he was scared of the water, because he kind of didn't know what was going on, but by the end of the trip that day, he was barreling head-first into the water."
Loving our animals is our nature; we want nothing but sunshine and happiness for the ones who have been there through thick and thin and celebrated our life milestones. Who else is waiting happily for you, each and every time you come home? Fido, Fluffy, Speed the tortoise, Rocko the guppy? Pets enrich our lives; today we remember our pets that are no longer with us, not with sadness, but with a smile and the fond memories of great times together. We are so lucky to have had them in our lives for however long was allowed. We can only hope we walk with them again someday, over the rainbow bridge.