As a longtime Rainbow Bridge resident, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is another chance for me to assure people that when their pets cross, they bound happily into a wonderful new world. All their aches and pains disappear, and they have all the food, treats, toys, friends and adventures they could ever want. How does that happen? Because of your love. Your love is the energy that propels them over the bridge and sustains them here. Your love gives them new life, forever.

Happy Monday! We had a fun weekend, catching up on Sunday with our friends Blue and Jill, two dogs we first met at big party of all the pets of UNchain Winston volunteers who live at From the Rainbow. (Blue and Jill were stars of the dance floor that night!) This weekend, we started the day picking up iced Puppuccinos at Starbarks and then we went with Blue and Jill to Lake Everybody in the Water!, renting a glass-bottomed pontoon boat so we could watch all the fishes. So fun! We played in the lake, did a little sunbathing. It was good to see Blue and Jill again. They are doing great and we all had a perfect day!

Would you like a personalized update on your pet (or pets) who’ve crossed the Rainbow Bridge? One of my important jobs here as a Newcomers Club Ambassador is to write detailed letters about our newcomers and their great lives here. My best dog pals Freddie and Joey help me illustrate them (we’re a pretty talented trio!) and we send them in a beautiful, paw-drawn envelope. Recipients tell me the letters become treasured keepsakes — sometimes people even frame them! They also make great gifts. Learn more at http://fromtherainbow.com/custom.php.

My feline friend Helen sent me a message via Snoutbook today, saying she thought I’d been reporting too much on dogs in my social media posts. “Cats deserve equal time,” she said. I apologized immediately. “What do you want people to know about cats who’ve crossed the Rainbow Bridge?” I asked her. “To start,” she said, “this place wouldn’t run well without us.” That is true! Cats have designed many of the best parks here and they are important members of the Pack Placement Committee, which decides where new arrivals will live. “And remind them we are the ones who open all the mail,” she said. “Ah, yes. Your sharp claws are invaluable,” I replied. As my short chat with Helen shows, the cats here keep the rest of us on our toes! (Or should I say paws?)
(I’ve included a portrait here that my person, Todd Belcher, once painted of Helen. You can see she’s beautiful, but a wee bit intimidating.)

FromTheRainbow.com brings to life the magical world
that awaits pets when they cross the Rainbow Bridge

The death of a beloved pet is heartbreaking. Our dogs, cats and other animals become important parts of our families, their lives woven into ours. Their loss can leave a painful void.
The idea that pets cross the fabled Rainbow Bridge when they die has long brought solace to people mourning the loss of their pet.

And now a new website, FromTheRainbow.com, takes people into the magical world beyond the Rainbow Bridge, where animals are free of ailments and injuries, and where they run and play forever.
Jimmy, a poodle-terrier mix, is the guide to this delightful place, reporting regularly in blogs and on social media about his many adventures.

At FromTheRainbow.com, animals zip around in LegLyfts, spend hours playing at amusement parks like the Don’t Fence Me In Dog Park & Recreation Area and Mole & Vole Village, and dine at restaurants, including Starbarks and Che Kibble. They gather ’round the Fire Hydrant to swap stories in the evening and use Snoutbook to stay in touch. In this world, you’ll find many dogs and cats, but also guinea pigs, hamsters, sugar gliders, even some raccoons and pigs — because any pet that was once loved is welcomed.

In addition to his blogs, Jimmy writes personalized, custom illustrated letters to people who have lost a pet, updating them on their animal’s wonderful new life. From the Rainbow letters arrive in a beautiful, custom illustrated envelope ($59.95).

Personalized letters also can be packaged with a 5×7 custom color pet portrait or with a custom fine art portrait (starting at $159.95). Detailed package options and prices are available at FromTheBridge.com under the Personalized Letters tab.

All of Jimmy’s blogs and personalized letters are upbeat and fanciful, perfect for pet lovers of all ages.

From the Rainbow is a joint endeavor between Stephanie and Todd Belcher, and Julie A. Palm.
Stephanie Belcher, an art director and graphic designer, and Todd Belcher, a portrait artist, are founders and owners of Jimmydog Design Group and its associated business, Jimmydog Pet Portraits, founded in 2002. Jimmy, the voice and face of From the Rainbow, was the Belchers’ first dog after they married.

Palm is chief wordsmith at Palm Ink LLC, a communications firm founded in 2014.
The Belchers and Palm are animal lovers, and support a number of animal rescue and welfare groups. FromTheRainbow.com includes a robust resources section to help people, especially those in North Carolina, be responsible pet owners. The website also includes a number of resources for people experiencing grief after their pet dies.

The Belchers have two rescued dogs, Sally and Luna. Palm has a rescue dog, Max, and rescue cat, Ozzie. The Belchers and Palm also have several pets who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and those animals frequently appear in Jimmy’s From the Rainbow stories.

Having so much fun with our postcards. Appreciate all the great feedback we’re getting from our followers. Our postcard series continues with Molly, the most fabulous of felines. ?

Happy National Mutt day! This day was created to celebrate these lovable, unique pets who paw their way into our homes and hearts. Meet Archie, the most adorable Corgi mix who ever lived. Archie lived the best life with our July Top Fan Janice Hughes who commissioned Todd to paint this tribute to her beloved dog in 2009! Archie has been a resident at the bridge for many years is doing well and has become fast friends with our beloved pack of rainbow mutts, Jimmy, Joey and Freddie.

There once was a dog named Clooney, George Clooney! A very good boy, our god dog visited regularly and was often quite helpful. At one time our “Doggy Van Go Go” had an electronic window that stopped rolling down and Clooney was on the case. One hot day Todd loaded up Clooney, Freddie and Joey to take them out for a walk and left them for a few minutes in our driveway with the car/ac running. When he returned, Clooney had locked them in and we had no extra key! Triple A was quick on the scene to unlock the door and in the process the window was fixed. Thank you Clooney, missing you today and everyday. November 2006-July 15, 2018.

It’s called the Alex Hayden effect. Now more than ever! Read it. Learn it. Live it.
• Be generous without fear.
• Assume the best in people.
• Stay curious, keep learning.
• Share your gifts freely.
• Offer your help without thinking twice.
• Smile first.
• Say yes more often.
• Above all else, always choose kindness.
Any moment when you feel lost of unsure or just need a push in the right direction, take a breath, say “AH” and think: “What would Alex do?” This is the #TheAlexHaydenEffect
Pass. It. On.
Credit: With love and light from Big Leo Productions.
In honor and memory of Stephanie’s brother Alex, tragically killed by a drunk driver, July 14, 2018.

Although Jimmy loved people, he never liked any other dogs. Generally, he would ignore them. We would often take him to friends’ houses, and he wouldn’t even look at their dogs. We described this as a type of K-9 arrogance and explained it as his superiority — at least in his mind — to other creatures. I’ve never seen an animal so uninterested in its own kind.