10/31/2026
🐾 Bulldog Haven NW Rainbow Bridge — Ginko 🌈
It is never easy to share that one of our alumni has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Today, we wrap our arms around Ginko’s Mummy as she says goodbye to the boy who carried her as far as he could, just as she carried him every step of the way. ❤️
She asked us to share these words for her very best boy:
You came into my life brokenhearted, and you needed some extra love and confidence. Most people who met you for the first time noticed how handsome you were, and you immediately made it clear that you needed space. When I first met you, your foster Mum told me you might bite me. You proved us wrong. You ran up to me, flopped over on your back, and showed me your belly. Since then, we have been inseparable.
A Russian folktale tells the story of a young girl on a devastating journey to find her family. She soon encounters a wolf, and the wolf tells her, "Don't be afraid, get on my back. I will carry you as far as you need to go."
You have carried me as far as you could. And I have done the same for you.
After you were diagnosed with the first of many tumors when you were just 4 years old, I promised I would get you to 10. No matter what it took. You would have been 11 years old in November.
You experienced more and more health struggles as the years went on, and I often thought to myself, "This is the strongest dog I have ever known." As a veterinary technician, I was astounded at how much your body could take, despite all my years of experience working in critical care.
I named you Gingko because there is a grove of ginkgo trees near the epicenter of the Hiroshima bomb that survived the blast and are still growing to this day. You have survived every "atomic blast" that has come your way and have thrived.
With you by my side, you got to experience road trips, fairie rides, coffee shop whip cream, all the fruit you could eat, all the toys you could suckle on, all the water you could drink. You have killed 13 rabbits, the most recent being just 3 months ago, and even pounced on a baby bird and managed to strip the fur off a squirrel's tail too.
Your side-eye was legendary, and your stubbornness and sheer fight to survive made you surpass all of my expectations and hopes for you.
You helped get me through my own health and personal struggles, and I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. I loved you more than anything in the whole world.
Thank you for choosing me. I will love you forever, my sweet boy. Rest now, Mummy will be okay. See you in my dreams.
I miss your snores most of all, and your heart beating next to mine.
Ginko, you fought enough battles for one lifetime. Now you can rest. 🌈
May there be endless fruit, toys to suckle on, adventures to take, and, for the sake of every rabbit on the other side of the Bridge, perhaps a very secure bunny section. ❤️🐰
Most of all, we hope your Mummy feels you beside her whenever she needs you. Your heart may no longer beat next to hers, but the love you carried for each other will always be there.
Sleep peacefully, sweet boy. You will always be part of the Bulldog Haven NW family.
