What Does Crossing the Rainbow Bridge Mean?

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge means that a pet has died. The phrase comes from a short prose poem about a green meadow where pets wait, healthy again, until their people arrive, and then cross a bridge into heaven together. People say it to soften the news of a pet’s death, whatever they believe about an afterlife.

Below we cover where the poem came from, who wrote it, and when the phrase fits. Owners also carry it into keepsakes, such as the pet’s name and dates on pet memorial sweatshirts.

What does it mean by crossing the Rainbow Bridge?

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge means a pet has died; it is a gentle way of saying it, not a literal place. Wikipedia’s entry on the Rainbow Bridge sums up the story the poem tells in three stages:

1. The meadow: when a pet dies, it goes to a meadow on the near side of heaven, where it plays all day with the other pets.
2. Restored health: a pet that was sick or hurt is healthy again.
3. The reunion: when the owner dies, the pet runs to meet them, and the two cross the bridge into heaven together.

In the poem, the pet waits and crosses together with its person. Everyday speech has shortened that, so “she crossed the Rainbow Bridge” now simply means “she died.” A 2022 KSAT feature calls it a gentle way to say a pet has died, often used to share the news online.

Where did the Rainbow Bridge come from?

The Rainbow Bridge came from a prose poem that Edna Clyne-Rekhy wrote near Inverness, Scotland, in 1959, after her Labrador Retriever, Major, died, according to a 2023 National Geographic report. She was 19. She typed copies for friends without her name on them and never published the poem herself, so it traveled on without an author.

Koudounaris, an art historian who traced the poem, tells the full story in his article for The Order of the Good Death, including the Dear Abby column’s reach of about 100 million readers. Read the full poem on The Seeing Eye’s Rainbow Bridge page, which credits it to Clyne-Rekhy as “attributed.”

Who wrote the Rainbow Bridge poem?

National Geographic credits Edna Clyne-Rekhy, after Koudounaris examined her original handwritten draft and judged it genuine. Several people have claimed the poem over the years; the claims are listed here as National Geographic and the Order of the Good Death article describe them:

• Edna Clyne-Rekhy: a Scottish artist who still has her 1959 handwritten draft.
• William N. Britton: his 1994 book said the story came from a Native American shaman; Clyne-Rekhy dismissed this.
• Paul Dahm: an Oregon man reported to have copyrighted a version in 1994, a claim Koudounaris did not find among registered copyrights.
• Wallace Sife: a grief counselor who said the text came from a poem of his own.

National Geographic adds that Koudounaris found 15 separate claims filed under the title “Rainbow Bridge” in U.S. Copyright Office records.

Why do they say dogs cross the Rainbow Bridge?

People say dogs cross the Rainbow Bridge because the poem was written for a dog and spread early among dog lovers: Clyne-Rekhy wrote it for her Labrador, and the first known online copy came from a Great Dane rescue newsletter.

It stuck because it comforts. Koudounaris told National Geographic that many Christians were taught that animals lack souls and will not join them in heaven, and that the poem gives those readers hope. Kitty Block, then CEO and president of the Humane Society, told the same reporter it has comforted millions of grieving owners.

Is the Rainbow Bridge a religious belief?

No, the Rainbow Bridge is not a teaching of any religion; it comes from a 20th-century poem. Koudounaris calls it a “theological plug in,” an idea that can sit alongside any faith, so owners of many beliefs can use it. The Wikipedia entry also traces an earlier version of the idea to a sequel of the novel *Beautiful Joe*, in which animals wait for their owners in a green land.

Is the Rainbow Bridge for humans?

The Rainbow Bridge is for pets, not people: in the poem, a person reaches it only after their own death, to meet their pet and cross with it. We recommend keeping the phrase for pets; for a person who died, plain words such as “passed away” fit better.

What is pet Heaven called?

Pet heaven has no official name in any religion; the name most used in pet-loss circles is the Rainbow Bridge, which Wikipedia describes as a staple of pet mourning. The names you may meet:

• The Rainbow Bridge: the meadow and bridge from the 1959 poem.
• Pet heaven: an everyday term with no fixed picture behind it.
• Bifröst: a different rainbow bridge, in Norse mythology, that links Midgard with Asgard, the human world and the home of the gods; Wikipedia notes the two share some imagery.

How do people use “crossed the Rainbow Bridge”?

People use “crossed the Rainbow Bridge” to announce a pet’s death, to comfort a grieving owner and to remember the pet later:

• Social posts: a short announcement with the pet’s name, a photo and the phrase in place of “died.”
• Sympathy messages: a line in a card or text, when you know the owner finds comfort in it; our pet sympathy card messages work with or without it.
• Pet-loss groups: members write “ATB,” short for “At The Bridge,” after a pet’s name, as the Order of the Good Death article explains.
• Keepsakes and memorials: the same article notes the poem on sympathy cards and posters, and some pet cemeteries have it inscribed. Our guide to gifts for someone who lost a pet compares keepsakes by how close you are.
• Remembrance days: The Seeing Eye’s poem page invites gifts in a pet’s memory on Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, August 28.

When should you not use the Rainbow Bridge phrase?

Leave the Rainbow Bridge out when you are not sure the person shares the image, or when you are explaining a death to a young child:

• Different beliefs: some owners hold religious views about animals and heaven, or no belief in an afterlife, and may find the phrase hollow.
• Young children: KidsHealth’s guide to a pet’s death, reviewed by Nemours medical experts, advises words like “death” and “dying” and warns that euphemisms such as “put to sleep” can be taken literally. Say “died” first, then add the bridge story later if it fits your family’s beliefs.

If grief feels heavy, the Cornell Pet Loss Support Hotline at 607-218-7457 is staffed by veterinary student volunteers trained by professional grief counselors. It is not a crisis line; the same page lists 988 for a mental health crisis.

Can the Rainbow Bridge appear on a memorial portrait?

Yes, some owners add a short phrase, or simply the pet’s name and dates, under a memorial portrait stitched from a photo. A name and two dates fit the space better than a verse, and your own words avoid copying someone else’s poem. Our guide to a memorial pet portrait from a photo covers starting from only a few old photos.

Frequently asked questions

Do cats cross the Rainbow Bridge too?

Yes, owners use the phrase for cats, horses, rabbits and any other pet. The poem was written after a dog died, but its story is about pets in general.

How do you announce that your pet crossed the Rainbow Bridge?

Share the pet’s name, the date, one line about who they were and a photo. Use “crossed the Rainbow Bridge” if the image comforts you, or simply “passed away.”

Can I say my pet crossed the Rainbow Bridge if I’m not religious?

Yes. The phrase comes from a poem, not a religion, so you can use it as a gentle image rather than a statement of belief.