All dogs go to heaven

FINDLAY — A collaborative effort and a passion project between the Humane Society & SPCA of Hancock County and Sky Landscaping and Handyman Services added a welcoming place for the community to grieve pets who have crossed the rainbow bridge. Seth and Kiya Yeater, who own the landscaping company, said they had recently lost a pet of their own when Natalie Reffitt, the humane society's operations manager, reached out about a project. And, on Wednesday, the new rainbow bridge at the Humane Society, 4550 Fostoria Ave., was unveiled. The idea is a mythical bridge that connects heaven to Earth and is believed to be what pets cross when they die. In practical terms, it is a place where grieving pet owners can visit their departed furry friends. Reffitt said the idea came from the time when she worked the desk at the humane society, when she would see a lot of donations come in from people who had lost pets. She said she would feel sad for them and wanted to help. "At the moment, there's not much to say," she said. "I've been thinking 'I wish there was something the humane society could do.'" Refffitt said she saw someone in South Carolina had created a real-life rainbow bridge, and that's where the idea came from. Reffitt said the humane society only had to pay for the materials and was grateful Sky Landscaping donated their time. When Reffitt reached out to Sky Landscaping for their assistance, the Yeaters' said they had just lost their own dog, Willow, and were in the process of grieving themselves. "It was really special timing for us in terms of what the meaning of the bridge is," Kiya said. The rainbow bridge, constructed by Sky Landscaping and Handyman Services, sits in the pet memorial garden at the Humane Society on Fostoria Avenue. ANGELA LAROSA/The Courier The bridge, painted in the form of a rainbow, sits in the pet memorial garden. It allows space for those grieving to memorialize and place their loved ones' collars or dog tags at the side. Kiya said Willow has a special place on the bridge, too. Seth said the most difficult part while building the bridge was creating the archway and contour. It took a month to finish the project. He said the humane society provided scales and ideas for what they wanted, and then imagination just took over. But, the bridge wasn't enough for Reffitt. As part of the bigger picture, she received a grant from the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation for her to take grief counseling training classes. In addition to the new space for grieving pet owners, Reffitt said the humane society will offer a six-week Pet Loss Grief class this fall. And, with her training, she will help people move through their mourning, to turn painful memories back into pleasant ones. "We're not getting rid of their memories," she said. "I'm just trying to help them go through their pain."