The Rainbow Bridge Poem

The full text of the poem read at veterinary clinics and memorials around the world — and the story of the 19-year-old who wrote it for her own dog in 1959, then stayed anonymous for sixty years. 🌈

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The poem, in full

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

— Edna Clyne-Rekhy, 1959. Lightly edited versions of this text have circulated for decades; this is the traditional version most people know.

Who really wrote it — a 64-year mystery

For most of its life, the Rainbow Bridge poem was credited to “author unknown.” It spread through grief support groups in the 1980s and 90s, and exploded after a reader mentioned it in the nationally syndicated Dear Abby column in 1994. Veterinarians began handing it to grieving families; shelters printed it on memorial cards; millions of people found the phrase they still use today — “crossed the rainbow bridge.”

In February 2023, the mystery was solved. Art historian Paul Koudounaris traced the text to Edna Clyne-Rekhy, a Scottish artist who wrote it in 1959, at nineteen, the day after her Labrador Retriever, Major, died. She had written it in ink on a sheet of paper, shown it to a few friends, and never claimed credit as copies traveled the world without her name. The discovery was reported by National Geographic and retold by outlets like Slate.

Why these words help

Grief researchers call pet loss a classic case of disenfranchised grief — a loss that society doesn’t openly acknowledge (Kenneth Doka, 1989). There’s no funeral and no bereavement leave, so mourners are left to grieve alone. The poem does what the world often won’t: it takes the loss seriously, and it replaces the image of an ending with an image of a reunion. That’s also why reading it is a common part of home memorials — it gives the moment a shape.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day — August 28

Since 2013, August 28 has been observed as Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, created by author Deborah Barnes in memory of her cat, Mr. Jazz. It’s a day to say the name of a pet you’ve lost — out loud, in a post, or in a quiet moment. Common ways people mark it:

  • Share a favorite photo and a memory of your pet
  • Read the Rainbow Bridge poem, alone or with family
  • Donate to a shelter in your pet’s name
  • Light a candle, plant something, or frame a picture
  • Create a memorial image of your pet at the bridge — you can make one here from a photo you love

Everything about August 28 — where the day came from and eight ways people mark it →

More ways to remember them: 18 pet memorial ideas · what to do with their ashes · turning a photo into a portrait.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Rainbow Bridge poem?

Edna Clyne-Rekhy, a Scottish artist, wrote the original Rainbow Bridge prose poem in 1959, at age 19, the day after her Labrador, Major, died. She was identified as the author in February 2023, after decades in which the text circulated as “author unknown.” The finding was reported by National Geographic.

What is the Rainbow Bridge?

The Rainbow Bridge is the idea of a meadow “just this side of heaven” where pets who have died run and play, restored to health, until the day their person arrives — and they cross the bridge together. It is why many people say a pet has “crossed the rainbow bridge.”

Is the Rainbow Bridge poem free to print?

The text has been shared freely at veterinary clinics, shelters, and memorials for decades, and its author welcomed how far it spread. You can print the version on this page for personal use — use the print button and it will format cleanly on one page.

When is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day?

August 28, every year. It was established in 2013 by author Deborah Barnes, marking the day her cat Mr. Jazz passed. People share photos and stories of pets they have lost, make a donation to a shelter, or create a memorial in their pet’s honor.

Is there a Rainbow Bridge poem for cats?

The poem was written about a dog, but its words apply to any animal we love — cats, rabbits, birds, horses. Edna herself said Major’s story belongs to every pet. Many people simply read the poem with their own pet’s name in mind.

Sources: National Geographic, “The Rainbow Bridge poem’s author discovered after 64 years” (Feb 2023); Slate, “Who wrote the Rainbow Bridge poem?” (Dec 2023); Wikipedia, “Rainbow Bridge (pets)”; Doka, K. J., Disenfranchised Grief: Recognizing Hidden Sorrow (1989).

Missing someone at the bridge?

Turn a photo you love into a picture of them at the Rainbow Bridge — healthy, happy, waiting. Free to try, and yours to keep.

Make a memorial image →

Comforting a friend instead? Words to send a grieving friend →