In Honor and Celebration of the Pets We've Lost
A wet wriggly nose nudges your elbow, reminding you to leave your desk and take a walk outside. A soft and stealthy kitty paw bats at your slippers. Amusing, loving, and relaxing, our pets mean the world to us.
Some companion animals have important jobs like monitoring their owner’s health or guarding the family and property. From service animals to silly jesters, our pets keep us healthy and happy, and we like to return the favor.
When we lose a pet, however, it’s like losing a piece of ourselves. That’s why Brookside Barkery and Bath has dedicated a special sculpture to serve as an ongoing memorial to all the wonderful pets who have provided so much love to us.
A poem, written by Steve and Diane Bodofsky, describes the pets we’ve lost as crossing over a rainbow bridge where they stop to play until we can join them and cross over together. The “Rainbow Bridge Poem” has inspired people from all over the world to celebrate the loyal pets who are waiting for us just this side of the rainbow bridge. The poem has grown into a movement, and now, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day takes place every August 28th.
Special Community Sculpture to Honor Beloved Pets
Last August, Brookside Barkery and Bath dedicated a “FurEver Friends Memorial” at the Brookside location to honor our special fluffy friends who have crossed the rainbow bridge.
This custom-made remembrance sculpture (commissioned by an anonymous friend of the Barkery) is fabricated from metal in the shape of a dog. Where a live dog would usually be covered in fur, this dog’s coat has been fashioned from hundreds of metal loops welded to the body of the sculpture. Once the memorial sculpture has been dedicated, patrons will be encouraged to attach pet tags from their lost pets to the metal sculpture in memoriam. Like a lock bridge celebrates everlasting love, this memorial sculpture celebrates the idea of “timeless tags,” forever honoring the memory of our beloved lost pets.
The unique memorial sculpture was created by Machine Head, and a commemorative metal plaque sharing the name and mission of the memorial has been added thanks to the work of Justin Bell. Brookside Barkery employees Courtney and Gabby have decorated the FurEver Friends Memorial with lovely flower planters and plan to change sculpture’s plantings seasonally.
World Pet Memorial day - 6/14/2022
World Pet Memorial Day was created as a special day to memorialize beloved pets that have passed away. It is observed every year on the second Tuesday in June, and is a great time to celebrate the lives of your pets. Although pets are only in our lives for a short time, they stay in our memories forever. On this day pet owners that have lost a furry friend are encouraged to take time to remember their pet. Other ways to participate include:
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Visit our Fur-Ever Friends Memorial Sculpture
Patrons are welcomed and encouraged to continue to add tags to this memorial sculpture throughout the year. For those who’d like to participate but who no longer have the tags for their pets, the Barkery has a solution. The Barkery and Bath will provide tags which can also be engraved with the lost pet’s name. This also a preferable option for some owners who would like to attach pets tags but not include their home address or phone number. There is no charge for the tags and engraving, however the Barkery will accept $5 donations for Chain of Hope per tag. - Create a memorial stone for your pet and place it in your garden or walkway.
- Plant a tree or flower in memory of your pet.
- Donate to your local humane society or animal rescue group in honor of your pet.
- Gather photos of your pet and make a social post in remembrance with #WorldPetMemorialDay.
- Draw or paint a picture of your pet or commission a local artist.
Our sculpture organically grows in beauty with each tag that is added, as it holds tribute to our wonderful pet community. A place for families and small children who have lost pets, a space for them to hold remembrance, and a place to reminisce on earlier days, memories, and perhaps they have walked their dog down this very block.
You can visit our Fur-Ever Memorial Sculpture at any time, it is located at our Brookside location:
6201 Oak Street
Kansas City, Mo
64113
