After a beloved companion crosses the Rainbow Bridge, you might find yourself flipping through photos and suddenly wondering, “Where can I go to visit them now?” Even after the funeral and returning home, there are days when you wish there were a place somewhere just for them.
Rainbow Hill is an online memorial for pets that gives you a place like that. In a 3D metaverse memorial hall built of white marble and gold, rows of individual niches line the walls. Choose an empty one and add your pet’s photo and name, and that space becomes theirs. Other visitors walking through the memorial hall appear as avatars, too, so it feels less like a place you visit alone and more like a place where many people come together to remember.
You can enter right away without signing up. In this post, we’ll talk about where the phrase “crossing the Rainbow Bridge” came from and ways to share the grief of pet loss, then show you how to remember your pet at Rainbow Hill.
Dogs and cats who crossed the Rainbow Bridge: Where did the phrase come from?
When a pet passes away, we often say they “crossed the Rainbow Bridge” or “went off to the dog star.” The phrase “Rainbow Bridge” comes from a short prose poem of the same name that has been widely read in the English-speaking world for many years. In the poem, departed animals play happily and without pain in a green meadow just outside heaven. When their people arrive someday, they cross the Rainbow Bridge together.
For decades, the poem circulated online and on veterinary clinic bulletin boards without anyone knowing who wrote it. In 2023, National Geographic reported that after an art historian tracked down the people who had been named as possible authors one by one, she identified Scottish artist Edna Clyne-Rekhy. She wrote the piece after losing Major, her Labrador, in 1959, and reportedly shared it with only a few close friends.
Words one person wrote after losing a dog became a way for people around the world to express the same grief. In Korea, too, “crossed the Rainbow Bridge” has become a gentle way to talk about a pet’s death.
Pet loss syndrome: Why we need a place to share our grief
The lasting grief and sense of loss after a pet dies are often called “pet loss syndrome.” It’s the grief of losing a family member, but people around you may say, “They were just an animal—why are you taking it so hard?” That can make it difficult to talk about how you feel.
People often say that coping with pet loss doesn’t mean rushing to forget your grief. It starts with giving yourself time to grieve and letting those feelings out. You might say your pet’s name out loud, write them a letter with everything you wish you could have said, or talk with others who have been through the same thing. If your grief continues to weigh heavily on your daily life, professional counseling can also help.
Different ways to remember your pet after the funeral
Everyone finds their own way to remember a pet after the funeral. Options range from a place to keep their ashes, to keepsakes at home, to an online memorial you can visit anytime.
| Option | What it is | How to visit |
|---|---|---|
| Columbarium | The urn is placed in an indoor niche | Visit in person during opening hours |
| Tree burial | The ashes are buried beneath a tree | Go to where the tree is |
| Memorial stone | The ashes are made into small beads or stones | Keep it at home, close by |
| Photos and keepsakes | Keep your pet’s photos, collar, or toys | Take them out and look at them whenever you like |
| Message-board-style online memorial | A web page for sharing photos and messages | Visit the page to read and leave messages |
| Metaverse memorial | Display a photo and name in a space in a 3D world | Walk there as an avatar and stand in front of the space |
You don’t have to choose just one of these options; they can work well together. For example, you can keep the ashes in a columbarium and remember your pet together with family who live far away at an online memorial.
What makes a metaverse memorial different?
A message-board-style online memorial is a place to read words and look at photos. A metaverse memorial goes a step further: you can walk into it, as you would a real memorial hall. Walk through the hall and stand in front of your pet’s space. You can see whether flowers have been left there or a candle is lit.
Most of all, you can see other people who are visiting the memorial at the same time. When you see someone standing for a long time in front of a nearby space or walking toward the flower offering stand, you’re reminded that you’re not grieving alone. People looking for an online memorial for their dog are ultimately looking for a place where they can remember together.
A pet memorial isn’t the only place where people can remember and pray together in a virtual space. TempleDay is also an online temple where you can walk through a 3D mountain temple in the woods and practice temple etiquette, with other visitors sharing the space in real time.
How to remember your pet at Rainbow Hill
Choose an empty space and create a virtual locker for your pet
As you walk through the hall, tap an empty space or choose “Find an empty space” below to go right to it. Tap “Make this my pet’s space” in the locker-like niche, then enter your pet’s name and choose whether they were a dog, cat, or other. You can choose “Other” for any kind of companion, including rabbits, hamsters, and birds.
Add the dates you shared, a short note, and photos if you’d like. You can upload several photos, and the first one will be displayed on the back wall of the space. You can also choose an item your pet loved, like a ball, bone, or ball of yarn, and it will always be there on the floor.
Leave virtual flowers, light a candle, and write an online letter
Tap your pet’s space to browse their photos and see the years you shared and a short note beneath their name. Anyone can leave virtual flowers by tapping “Leave flowers” or light a candle by tapping “Light a candle,” and the totals add up over time. People nearby will see a message right away, such as “○○ left flowers.”
Leave anything you wish you could have said in an online letter. You can also leave a gift, like a treat or a teddy bear.
| What you can leave | Who can leave it | How it appears in the space |
|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Anyone | A bunch of white chrysanthemums appears at the bottom of the space |
| Candle | Anyone | A candle is lit at the bottom of the space |
| Gift | Anyone | Treats, teddy bears, bouquets, and gift boxes appear beneath the photo |
| Letter or memorial message | Anyone | Messages collect in the space, and those written by family are marked with a gold border |
| Your pet’s belongings | Family | They stay at the front of the floor in the space |
Find your pet by name and invite family with a link
Enter your pet’s name under “Find a pet” to narrow the list, then tap their name to go right to their space. Each space has a number, like “AC-29,” so once a space is assigned, it never moves.
Tap “Share” in the space to send its link through a messaging app like KakaoTalk. When someone opens the link, they’ll be taken straight to your pet’s space, so even family who live far away can leave flowers in the same place.
Take a quiet walk to the sound of piano music
Tap where you want to go or use the joystick to walk through the hall. Soft piano music plays as you walk, and you can adjust the volume in Settings. The hall stretches on endlessly, so there’s a space for every pet.
What we kept in mind while building it
The first thing we decided when creating Rainbow Hill was: “Once a space is assigned, it never moves.” When all the spaces in a hall are full, another empty hall is added beyond it, so existing spaces stay where they are even as more pets are remembered here. That way, a link shared with family will still point to the same space years later.
We also put a lot of care into making it easy to tell which spaces are occupied, even from far away. Photos and nameplates are clear in the spaces nearby. In distant halls, we show faded versions of the photos and keep the nameplates visible, so occupied spaces don’t look empty. Spaces for pets without photos are filled with a warm beige color, too.
Who might find this helpful
- Anyone who wants a place they can visit anytime to remember a dog or cat who crossed the Rainbow Bridge
- Anyone who wants to remember their pet together with family and friends who live far away
- Anyone who can’t visit a columbarium often and would like to leave a flower nearby
- Anyone who wants to share the grief of pet loss with people who understand
Online pet memorial: Frequently asked questions
Do I need to sign up?
No. When you first enter, you’ll already be in the memorial hall with a name assigned to you. You can change your name in Settings.
Can I use it without an internet connection?
No. This is a metaverse memorial where you can see flowers, candles, and letters left by other visitors in real time, so you need an internet connection.
Can I create a space if I didn’t hold a funeral?
Yes. Anyone can create a space for their pet, regardless of how they handled the funeral. You can also create a space for a pet who passed away a long time ago.
Can I create a space without a photo?
Yes. Just enter your pet’s name and choose what kind of animal they were to create a space. You can add a photo later when you edit it.
Can I delete letters left by other people?
Yes. A pet’s family can delete letters left for their pet, and people can delete messages they wrote themselves. If you’re concerned about someone else’s photo or message, you can report it by tapping “Report.”
Can my family visit the same space?
Yes. Tap “Share” in the space to send a link. When someone opens it, they’ll go straight to that space.