Restoring Pets’ Memories from Lake Lure Rainbow Bridge

Our hearts are broken to hear about the destruction of the Rainbow Bridge at Lake Lure Flowering Bridge in North Carolina. The historical spot was unfortunately in the path of Hurricane Helene and the beloved landmark honoring pets who have passed away had been destroyed.

The Baltimore Humane Society is offering a way to continue those memories and create our own version of the Rainbow Bridge here at our beautiful memorial park.

Remembering Our Furry Family

The Baltimore Humane Society believes in caring for our furry family — from the day they are adopted to the day they leave us behind. Our Memorial Park is filled with beloved tributes to those who gave us so much joy. And we would like to help those who lost their memories.

We invite pet owners who visited the Rainbow Bridge to submit their pets’ names below, which we will paint on river rocks and place along a pathway in our Memorial Park. It is our version of the Rainbow Bridge — a way to always remember the pet you loved and lost.

To participate, fill out this form and we will take care of the rest. Let your pet’s legacy live on in a peaceful setting.

Questions? Contact our Cemetery Director Veronica Vanhof at [email protected].

About the Lake Lure Rainbow Bridge

According to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge website, the Rainbow Bridge was created by artist Amy Wald in tribute to her beloved dog. She built the bridge as a space where families could leave behind a piece of their pet’s life, believing they would meet their pet once again.

The Rainbow Bridge is based on an unknown author’s famous poem, which has comforted anyone who lost a cherished pet. As the poem reads:

Lake Lure Flowering Bridge
Photo Courtesy of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge Facebook

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.

Since 2022, the Rainbow Bridge has been one of the most popular features at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge historical site. A sign at its gate encourages visitors to leave their pets’ collars or tags on the bridge’s rails.