Carrying Love Across the Rainbow Bridge - Humane Society Silicon Valley

August 28th is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, which is a hard thing to write about.

Grief resists language. How could you ever find a good way to explain what one animal meant to you – the ridiculous, unrepeatable habits that shaped your days? How could you possibly describe what it means to lose that?

We try anyway. Talking about grief doesn’t make it smaller, but love needs somewhere to go.

So we asked the people who work and volunteer at HSSV to tell us about a pet they lost.

Tucker

We fostered Tucker, and adopters kept passing him over because of the cleft palate that made him such a special pooch. I decided he should stay with us — he had such a cute personality and he was very loving. He became my heart dog very quickly, following me everywhere and sleeping curled up right next to me each night. We lost him suddenly to pneumonia not quite two years ago, and I still miss him every day. — Kathi, volunteer surgery assistant, FAVS, and canine foster mentor

Scrappy

My soul cat Scrappy died on May 16, 2026, at thirteen. I bottle-fed her back to health when she was a baby, and she was by my side every year after — playing soccer with her toy balls, singing late at night, biting and playing in boxes. I was a dog person before Scrappy. She turned me into a cat person. — Emily, volunteer

Cece

Our sweet Cece crossed the rainbow bridge while we held her. She was rescued in Arizona years ago, and she was the best dog — full of love. We miss her silliness and the little jolt she gave whenever food was anywhere nearby. Our house and our hearts feel empty. She was my best little sidekick. — Kristi, HR team

Rascal

I adopted Rascal when she was ten years old. She had been abused in her first ten years and still knew exactly what she was looking for. It was love at first sight — she looked at me, I looked at her, and then she crawled into my lap and purred. Then we found out we had the same birthday. It was meant to be. I got six and a half years to treat her like the queen she deserved to be. Rest in peace, my beautiful Rascal. — Vicki, volunteer cat matchmaker

Goldie

Goldie was my soul dog. She was an amazing dog, and she was by my side almost every day for four years. Her calm demeanor helped countless shy dogs and puppies who came through HSSV’s doors gain confidence. I miss her every day. — Gee, Behavior team

Gemma

I adopted Gemma from a private rescue in Los Angeles. She had been used for breeding at a puppy mill in Tijuana. She was the sweetest little floof, and she loved snuggling and riding in her stroller. She was my best friend, and she is the reason I started volunteering and eventually working at HSSV. She passed in 2024, and I carry her with me every day. — Allyson, Philanthropy team

Cooper

Cooper came from San Martin Animal Shelter about seventeen years ago, which made him eighteen or nineteen when I made the loving but painful decision to help him cross the rainbow bridge on August 7. He volunteered as a therapy dog for twelve years, mostly at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose and Kaiser Santa Clara, working with patients in pediatrics, infusion, and hospice. He loved people and wanted to meet everyone he saw. He was my first dog, and he opened my heart in ways I never imagined were possible. — Sandi, Legacy Society member

Casper “Cassie” Ann

Cassie lived for eighteen years. She was a prolific hunter and often brought rodents, birds, and reptiles into the house. Later in life, her favorite pastime was cuddling up against us and sleeping. Our Old Lady Baby has been gone three years now, and she is greatly missed. — Gretchen, volunteer cat matchmaker

Tucker, Beau, And Mickey

All of my pets came from HSSV. Tucker and Beau were littermates, adopted at the old shelter on Lafayette Street; Beau lived to sixteen and Tucker to eighteen. They were lovely cats. I adopted Mickey in 2017, when he was four, and lost him in 2023 — a very gentle soul who was always at my side as I overcame major health challenges. I miss them every day. — Diane, volunteer dog matchmaker and feline foster

Lord Byron

I would not be where I am today without this handsome boy. He motivated me to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, and he showed me that I am far stronger and more capable than I ever gave myself credit for. — Caitlin, RVT

Ringo

It has been nearly eight years since I lost my best friend, Ringo, and I still get teary-eyed whenever I think of him.

Early in my career at HSSV I was so busy learning my new job that I rarely took time to check out any of the animals. There were a few cats in a converted closet across from my office that I would see every day, and occasionally, working late in the winter, I would help pass out blankets to the dogs in the runs. I was not looking for a pet. I certainly had no intention of adopting.

Then one afternoon a behavior specialist came up to me and said my dog had passed his assessment and was ready for adoption. I had no idea what she was talking about. She reminded me that a few weeks earlier a family had come in to surrender their dog, and the dog had gone running to me. I had picked him up and carried him back to the surrender desk.

I had to at least go see this pooch — named Lucky at the time — who had picked me. He was the cutest little thing, with the most beautiful colored fur, and I fell in love.

There was one more test. My partner, Mark, is a mailman, and Lucky was known to be not particularly fond of men, especially tall men, which was one of the reasons he had not been put up for adoption earlier. I told Mark to come to the shelter after work in full uniform. We walked over to the enclosure where they had Lucky, and that dog could not wag his tail any faster.

We decided then and there. Mark went home to look up other names, because we had learned that you should never name a dog Lucky. I completed the adoption and brought Ringo home a week or two before Christmas.

His first Halloween he was a Fairy Dog and I was his Fairy Dog Mother. We soon learned that Ringo HATED costumes.

He came everywhere with me. He appeared on my business cards.

I could go on and on about Ringo’s quirks and antics, but I need to dry my eyes. The last photo here is the one we used for the tile in the break room.

— Michelle, HR staff

Leave a Reply Cancel reply