12/13/2025
A determined troop of Girl Scouts worked for months to create a rainbow bridge to honor pets who have passed away -- and they weren't going to let a cowardly act of vandalism stop them from holding their dedication ceremony this week! Girl Scout Troop 508, a group of fourth and fifth graders from Our Lady of the Snows in Reno, Nevada, built "The Biggest Little Rainbow Bridge" at Crissie Caughlin Park as their Junior Bronze Award community service project. Two weeks after finishing the paint job, and just before they were going to add the finishing touches, someone poured white paint over the rainbow-colored tribute. Undeterred by what many in the community viewed as an act of anti-LGBTQ bigotry, the girls responded by rolling up their sleeves and repainting every stripe.
Before breaking ground, the young scouts surveyed 230 local students and found that over 82% had been significantly affected by pet loss, with nearly 67% saying it would help to have a special place to mourn. When they pitched the idea to the Reno City Council last May, Mayor Hillary Schieve told them, "You knocked my socks off." The city described the finished bridge as "a beautiful and peaceful place to mourn the loss of our beloved four-legged family members who have crossed the rainbow bridge into the great beyond" -- a reference to a poem written over 60 years ago that imagines a peaceful meadow where beloved animals wait to reunite with the people who loved them.
The city called the girls' response to the vandalism "inspiring." With help from the Parks Department, Troop 508 repainted the memorial and held their ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 7 as scheduled. Reno Police filed a report and continue to investigate, asking anyone with information to contact RPD. The vandalism follows a pattern seen across the country, where numerous rainbow crosswalks created as signs of support and solidarity with the LGBTQ community have been vandalized with paint around the country in recent years, from Nashville to Seattle to Huntington, West Virginia.
The incident sparked widespread speculation that the bridge was targeted by someone who mistook the rainbow colors for an LGBTQ symbol rather than a tribute to pets. "Conservatives [say] 'liberals are snowflakes and are offended by everything' yet here they are so threatened by gay people that they defaced a rainbow bridge made by children to memorialize their pets. Insane," wrote one commenter on a post by local news outlet Our Town Reno. Another added: "Homophobia and transphobia affect EVERYONE. Even though this was for pets that passed on, hatred in people's hearts over LGBT identities is what caused this because that is the only thing they think of when they see a rainbow."
In the end, the vandal with hate in their heart failed. The bridge stands, the ribbon has been cut, and the "dedicated Girl Scout Troop 508" -- as the city called them -- created exactly what they set out to build: "a beautiful and peaceful place to mourn the loss of our beloved four-legged family members who have crossed the rainbow bridge into the great beyond and reflect on the memories we have made with them."
Kudos to these mighty Girl Scouts for not letting an act of hate dim their rainbow!
For many children, the death of a pet is their first experience with grief. For books to talk to kids about a pet's death, we recommend "The Invisible Leash" for ages 3 and up (https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780316524896), "Rodney Was A Tortoise" for ages 3 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/rodney-was-a-tortoise), "Addy's Cup of Sugar" (https://www.amightygirl.com/addy-s-cup-of-sugar) for ages 4 to 8, and "A Stone for Sascha" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/a-stone-for-sascha)
For books that celebrate the special role that animal companions play in our lives, visit our blog post "Her Best Friend: 60 Books About Mighty Girls and Their Pets" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11577
For more books specifically about the unique bond between Mighty Girls and their canine companions, check out our blog post, "50 Books About Mighty Girls and Their Dogs," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=18554
For books to inspire children to follow the Girl Scouts' commitment to service, visit our blog post “Making an Impact: 40 Mighty Girl Books about Charity and Community Service” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10983
And for books for children, teens, and their parents that foster acceptance and understanding of LGBTQ people, visit our blog post, "True Colors: Mighty Girl Books for Pride Month," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12258
