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The loss of a pet companion can be as devastating as the death of a human loved one. Rainbows and Bridges offers an array of thoughtful ways to deal with that loss.

Featuring inspirational ideas, exercises, and quotations, this kit includes a frame for the photo of a beloved pet; a detailed guidebook to work through sorrow and grief; a journal/scrapbook to celebrate the pet's life; and cards to facilitate religious, secular, or nature-based memorial rituals and healing.

Authors Allen and Linda Anderson use these components to address the spectrum of feelings that can arise -- despair, loneliness, anger, alienation, disappointment, and self-doubt. They candidly recount their own experiences with pet loss and present the experiences of others who have struggled and recovered.

Rainbows and Bridges gently guides the bereaved through the process of recalling the past, grieving in the present, and finding hope in the future.

Rainbows & Bridges answers these questions and many more:

   * Why don?t people understand how much pet loss hurts and how can you deal with insensitivity?

   * How can you best help grieving children and other pets in the family?

   * If you have had to choose euthanasia for your pet, how do you handle feelings of guilt?

   * Do animals go to heaven? What if there is a disconnect between what you believe and religious doctrine or the teachings of your church?

   * Do animals come back in dreams or in other ways?

   * What do you need in order to conduct a memorial service for a pet?

   * How can you know if sadness is spiraling into depression?

   * Will you know if/when you are ready to adopt another pet?

"As a veterinary medical correspondent and lifetime pet lover, I believe in both the power of pets and the power of stories to heal. This kit is an amazing toolbox of resources that offers a wide range of healing activities, wise information, compassionate reflection, and practical help for honoring and memorializing the life of your pet."
--Dr. Marty Becker, resident veterinarian on ABC's Good Morning America and author of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul