The Rescuer's Final Reward
Unlike most days at the Rainbow Bridge, this
day dawned cold and gray.
All the recent arrivals at the Bridge did
not know what to think, as they had
never seen such a day.
But the animals who had been waiting longer for
their beloved people to accompany them
across the Bridge knew what was
happening and they began to gather
at the pathway leading to the Bridge.
Soon an elderly dog came into view, head
hung low and tail dragging.
He approached slowly, and though he
showed no sign of injury or illness,
he was in great emotional pain.
Unlike the animals gathered along the pathway,
he had not been restored to youth and vigor upon
arriving at the Bridge.
He felt out of place, and
wanted only to cross over and find
happiness.
But as he approached the Bridge, who apologized
and explained that the tired and
broken-spirited old dog could not cross
over.
Only those animals accompanied
by their people were allowed to cross
the Bridge.
Having nobody, and with nowhere else to turn,
the dog trudged into the field in front of the
Bridge.
There he found others like himself, elderly
or infirm, sad and discouraged.
Unlike the other animals waiting to cross the
Bridge, these animals were not running
or playing.
They simply were lying in the grass, staring
forlornly at the pathway across the
Rainbow Bridge.
The old dog took his place among them, watching
the pathway and waiting, yet not knowing
for what he was waiting.
One of the newer dogs at the Bridge asked
a cat who had been there longer to
explain what was happening.
The cat replied, "Those poor animals were
abandoned, turned away, or left at
rescue places, but never found a home on
earth.
They all passed on with only the love of
a rescuer to comfort them.
Because they had no people to love them,
they have nobody to escort them across the
Rainbow Bridge."
The dog asked the cat, "So
what will happen to those animals?"
Before the cat could answer, the clouds
began to part and the cold turned to
bright sunshine.
The cat replied, "Watch, and you will
see."
In the distance was a single person, and
as he approached the Bridge the old, infirm
and sad animals in the field
were bathed in a golden light.
They were at once made young and healthy,
and stood to see what their fate would be.
The animals who had previously gathered at
the pathway bowed their heads as the
person approached.
At each bowed head, the
person offered a scratch or hug.
One by one, the now youthful
and healthy animals from the field fell
into line behind the person.
Together, they walked across the Rainbow Bridge
to a future of happiness and unquestioned love.
The dog asked the cat, "What
just happened?"
The cat
responded, "That was a rescuer.
The animals gathered along the pathway bowing
in respect were those who had found
their forever homes because of rescuers.
They will cross over when
their people arrive at the Bridge.
The arrival here of a rescuer is
a great and solemn event, and as a
tribute they are permitted to perform
one final act of rescue.
They are allowed to escort all
those poor animals they couldn't place
on earth across the Rainbow
Bridge."
The dog thought for a moment, then
said, "I like rescuers."
The cat smiled and replied, "So
does heaven, my friend.
So does heaven."
The dogs listed below or on the below web
links have been saved from death row and are now in foster homes until they find
their forever home.
If you are interested in meeting one of
these dogs, please contact the foster carer or rescue organistaion directly for
further information.......
DOGGIERESCUE.COM
