When the Universe calls one of our furry friends home, remember ...

Loved Dogs Do Not Die
Beulah Fenderson Smith

We have a secret, you and I,
that no one else shall know,
for who but I can see you lie
each night in fire glow?

And who but I can reach my hand
before we go to bed
and feel the living warmth of you
and touch your silken head?

And only I walk woodland paths
and see ahead of me,
your small form racing with the wind
so young again, and free.

And only I can see you swim
in every brook I pass,
and when I call, no one but I
can see the bending grass.
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Sunny Treasure, California
05/09/2000-06/18/2012

Sunny lay by my side as I wrote this website.
Nearly 400 children signed his autograph book
and he touched the lives of hundreds more.
His daily company was my inspiration to honor all these
very special R.E.A.D.® partners.
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The Rainbow Bridge
inspired by a Norse legend

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

© 1998 Steve and Diane Bodofsky. All Rights Reserved.

Jazz, Virginia

Bentley, Florida

They say that memories are golden,
Well, maybe that is true.
I never wanted memories,
I only wanted you.
A million times I needed you,
A million times I cried.
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.
In life I loved you dearly,
In death I love you still.
In my heart you hold a place
No one could ever fill.

Author unknown

Bentley, Florida

Reilly, New Hampshire

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
love leaves a memory no one can steal.

Lad, Illinois

Mugsy, New York

Cassie, Georgia

Any dog that has touched your life
will certainly live forever.

Berklee, North Carolina

Samantha ("Sami"), Ohio

Rafter, South Carolina

Dogs are our link to paradise.
They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.
To sit with a dog on a hillside
on a glorious afternoon
is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring--
it was peace.

~Milan Kunders

Sara, Washington

To live in hearts we leave behind,
is not to die.

Annie Rose, Florida

Cody & Kelvin, Maine

Dora, Tennessee

Dogs come into our livest to teach us about love....
They depart to teach us about loss . ...
A new dog never replaces an old dog; it emrely
expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs,
your heart is very big.

~Erica Jong

Buddy, 1999-2012 ~ cover dog for the R.E.A.D. manual, appreciated by all R.E.A.D. teams.

Dogs are not our whole life,
but they make our lives whole.
~Roger Caras

Maggie, Florida

Betsy, Ohio

Gator, Ohio

Timber, Maine

Vicky, Canada