This is a second post by Jo speaking specifically to grief. I should perhaps say that I don’t think the Rainbow Bridge fable is the perfect solution to the grief we feel at losing a beloved animal. It is, however, virtually the only commemoration of a non-human life I can think of (I recall an article I found about a Buddhist ceremony sponsored by a Japanese medical research company to honor the lives of animals killed in their work and some particular Hindu ancestor ceremonies include animals in the ranks of dead that receive offerings).
Of course, we must also question why grief is counted as such a destructive emotion. It can be – but it doesn’t have to be. Is the reason that human hate, fear, or greed hasn’t damaged the sacred universe only due to the lack of a straightforward fable?
None of this is to argue with the author of the original post regarding the damage we humans have supposedly done to the Gods’ own bridge by way of our natural and instinctive reaction to loss. This is, at most, a counterpoint to the assignation of blame to people who don’t even believe in the existence of Bifrost. Assuming responsibility or even accountability for such perceived harm is largely unproductive. If indeed Bifrost suffers for the weight of non-human animals that were wildly loved how must the rest of the cosmos suffer for the weight of non-human animals that were tormented every day of their existence and whose only value was realized by their death? That, perhaps, is the damage we should feel most accountable for.
The Road, the Walker, and What Comes Next 