Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 2024

 

ABOUT RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY:

Deb Barnes founded Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day (RBRD) in 2015 as a special day for pet guardians to honor the memory of those beloved pets in their life they have loved and lost, but never forgotten – whether fur, fin, feathers, scales or something else. It’s held every year on August 28, in honor of the day Deb had to say goodbye to her  precious Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, the meow author of Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond.  

My "Baby Bobo"

The first to make his way over the Bridge was my precious Angel Bobo. I had found Bobo late in 1989 during a blizzard in Ohio. He was approximately 6 months old at the time. I was blessed to have him in my life for 18 years. Bobo was truly MY cat. He hated other cats, wasn't a fan of dogs (except for one Sheltie who lived near us in Ohio, that Sheltie was named Kelly and they used to eat grass together when Bobo would go outside on his leash.).

 Bobo was the first kitty I had ever share my life. We had a bond that I thought would never ever be as intense as it was, until:

My Cody

 

My Cody, My Codester, my precious love bug, my cuddle bug, my shadow, my heart, my soul. My "Velcro kitty". When Cody was adopted July of 2007 (two weeks after my Bobo passed), I never, ever thought that I would have a bond like that again. My Cody, the day I adopted him he crawled up my chest at Petco and wouldn't let go. From that day on until his tragic, unexpected death in 2020, he DID NOT LET GO. My chicken loving, catnip loving, Sheltie-loving cuddle bug only wanted to be loved from the moment we laid eyes on each other.

Cody was the reason that this blog began. He was my "co-pilot", my sidekick. Our blog started October of 2009 and to honor his memory, while the name of the blog has changed, the link never, ever will.

Cody gave me more happiness, love and yes, heartbreak than I could ever imagine. My precious boy, I miss you beyond words.

I used to love when Cody played with certain toys from kittenhood on, he would do a somersault while he played. It was the cutest ever. Cody was a "people cat". Anyone who entered our home, in his mind, was his friend.

He spent every single night on the armrest of the couch next to me while I watched TV. To this day, that armrest remains empty. 

When he wasn't sitting with, or following me, or playing with his brother, Cody loved nothing more than to spend time in his cherished cat tree.

I will be forever grateful for Cody's cat tree as well as his custom-made urn, where Cody is at rest. He gets to spend eternity in his favorite spot in the world, his cat tree.

My Dakota, My First Sheltie

Believe it or not, when Dakota joined our family in October of 2007, while I loved him, it took us a few years for us to truly form the deep bond that we had.

Daddy was the one who used to take Dakota to the Vet and to grooming, so he bonded with him earlier than I did. While I was CRAZY about Dakota, our bond deep bond began probably when he was about two years old. From that time on, Dakota and I were deeply bonded. So much so that he had an uncanny sense of understanding my emotions, coming to me to give me kisses when I would cry. He was my cooking buddy; he would watch me like a hawk from the babygate whenever I would cook, and I would tell him everything I was doing.

Dakota was stoic, funny, barky, quirky, handsome, loving, loyal and all I could have hoped for from my first Sheltie. Dakota was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream of being a mom to a Sheltie. I couldn't have asked for a better dog.

He adored his Daddy and his Mama, popcorn, apples, chicken, hamburgers and his beloved red, white and blue ball. 

He didn't like other dogs, wasn't a fan of that many people, but he was fiercely loyal to his Daddy, Mama and to his brother, Cody. Dakota loved with everything he had, even in his last moments. I am grateful for each and every moment I had with this special boy and miss him terribly.

Dakota and Cody adored each other. Many who wrote me notes of comfort when they passed, a mere 9 days apart, felt that the two of them planned on leaving together.  I'm not surprised. When Cody passed first, Dakota was lost. He kept looking for Cody everywhere, it was the most heartbreaking thing to witness. Dakota had already been diagnosed with cancer (Hemangiosarcoma), and when Cody left us, it was as if Dakota lost his will to live. He wanted to be with his Daddy and Mama but missed his brother terribly.

The photo below was the last photo of the boys taken together; it was taken extremely close to when they passed. I am grateful that I have it. Cody and Dakota brought his Daddy and Mama more joy and silly, loving moments than we ever could have imagined.

This is the sweatshirt that was on the floor of the closet

where Cody ultimately passed.

He chose to lay next to it.

This sweatshirt had been missing for years.

Until Cody passed away on it.

"Coincidence? I think not."

To each and every one of you who have lost beloved babies,

please remember:

"We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun"--John Lennon

Thank you, my precious pets, for your unconditional love, for the happy times and memories that will live with me forever. Thank you, my beloved Cody, for this blog and all that I experienced because you were the first to make it possible. Love forever to all of you, always, your Mama.

I didn't intend for this post to be quite this long, and I thank you for taking the time to read it. I also would like to thank Deb Barnes for creating this wonderful event. I send my love to each and every one of you and look forward to reading your stories and seeing your photos of those "who came before." May we all derive some comfort from these posts.

The Day That Would Signify The Beginning Of The End #WorldPetMemorialDay #NationalBestFriendsDay

 Hi friends, yep, it's me, after over a month of not having blogged, I thought it was appropriate that I return on World Pet Memorial Day, (a day that falls on the second Tuesday in June and is a day to honor all pets who are no longer with us),  and National Best Friends Day which fall on June 8 this year. June 8th is significant to me because that day marked the beginning of the end. 

This beautiful candle was gifted to me by Ingrid King of The Conscious Cat

It was made by Bernadette E. Kazmarski of The Creative Cat

It was on June 8th, 2020 that  our beloved Dakota was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma, the most common form of heart tumor found in dogs, though they say it is "rare overall", another dear dog in our family who lived in Denver, passed of the same disease shortly before Dakota did.  Dakota left us one month and one day after he was diagnosed.

June 9th, 2020 was the day that we found out that Cody would have to have a biopsy of his intestines, (to try and find out why he was losing so much weight), his surgery was June 25th, 2020, he left us on June 30th 2020 after a freak hemorraging incident. (After he passed we found out he had IBD and NOT lymphoma which made his passing even tougher to cope with.) Today I am remembering my precious boys.

Blogging has been hard for me since the boys left. This blog was created for Cody back in 2009 as a tribute to cats everywhere. Cody was the heart of this blog. He was two years old when the blog began and it was easy for me to have him "speak" because I was so tuned in to his personality.

Dakota's blog began in 2011, I ended it when he passed. There was no need to keep it going.

My boys were probably not that unique or special to many, but they were unique and special to Lenny and I. They shared a bond for 13 years, I am still certain that even though we knew Dakota's time with us was limited, his passing was expedited when Cody left. He passed a mere nine days after Cody left us.

Another cherished gift
from Monika from Tails Around The Ranch

Prior to Cody's passing, Dakota  wandered aimlessly through our condo. He would gaze sadly down the hall, looking for his friend who used to taunt him from the other side of the baby gate, but there was no Cody. He would wander through the living room, he would sniff, look up at Cody's cherished cat tree, and in all of the places that Cody loved to hide, but there was no Cody.  Dakota grew increasingly listless and eventually refused to eat. Dakota was one of the most sensitive dogs I have ever known.

 He was tuned in to me and my moods the way my Angel Bobo was (who we also remember today, he was my first "heart" cat), Cody was DEFINITELY my "heart" cat as well.

Dakota had never experienced life without Cody since he moved in with us. When Dakota joined our family, Cody was already here, he had been with us 3 months before Dakota joined our family.  They seemed to bond almost instantly. Cody let him know right away who was the boss and from that first day, Dakota deferred to Cody. Cody RULED Dakota as well as Lenny and I!!

Cody was the one who knew the precise time that EVERY meal (and snack) should take place! He would wake all of us up early in the morning and he was all over dinnertime!

 When anyone would visit our home it was Cody who would be the first to greet them while Dakota would stand behind Cody as if he wanted HIM to protect him.

I never realized how placid Cody was until Roary came to live with us. Cody took much in stride. From the day I adopted him he was a "cuddle bug", he would sit next to me on the armrest of the couch, every single night without fail. 

Blogging about both Cody and Dakota was easy. While they didn't do extraordinary things, they were extraordinary to both Lenny and I. 

The Vet appreciated Dakota (and probably appreciates him even more now that rowdy Levi is on the scene), because he was beyond stoic. He didn't love being at the Vet, but he didn't show it. He would patiently wait his turn to be seen and allowed them to do whatever they needed to. Cody was the same.

If anyone would have told me I would have lost both of my boys in such close proximity, I never would have believed it. There isn't a day that goes by that they aren't mentioned by Lenny or myself, there isn't a day they aren't thought of, there isn't a day that they aren't missed.

It's all still raw. While we adore Roary and Levi, it is MUCH harder for me to blog about them. Roary is almost a year old and Levi is almost 9 months old, but their personalities haven't yet "spoken" to me. Yes, I am completely bonded with them, but blogging about them is more difficult, it doesn't come easily to me as it did with Cody and Dakota. I am hopeful that once these "firsts" have passed, that maybe I will "feel" blogging the way that I used to. Or maybe I won't.

My boys may have left this physical world but they haven't left my heart or my thoughts and they never will. My Angel Bobo who lived to the ripe old age of 18 gave them HUGE PAWS to fill and both Cody and Dakota lived up to that challenge and then some.

I know this post was rather long, I thank you for reading if you made it through, and I thank you for helping me honor  my boys on World Pet Memorial Day and National Best Friends Day. 

If you are remembering beloved pets of your own, I send you love and virtual hugs, and for those of you who are blessed as I am to have new and wonderful pets in your life, cherish each and every day, it all goes by so fast.

To Cody, Dakota and Bobo, I haven't enough words to THANK YOU for all the love and joy you brought to me. Cody and Dakota, because it's all still a blur, Mama misses you with all of her heart and once again is crying while typing, never forget that Mama loves you. There will never, ever be two like you both again.......I LOVE YOU!!