A rainbow now arches gently through the woods next to Trinity Metropolitan Community Church in Gainesville — not a real one in the sky, but a wooden one, nestled in a quiet garden filled with flowers, pet collars and memories.
Dozens gathered on Saturday for the grand opening of the Community Rainbow Bridge Memorial, a new space designed for people to remember their lost pets. The project, led by the church and inspired by the imagination of a nine-year-old boy named Antin Young, has quickly become a symbol of love, healing and connection for the broader community.
“I wanted a place where we could remember Fast,” Antin Young said, referring to his pet mouse who had been with the family through three different homes. “I was sad when he died, and I thought other people might be sad, too. So I wanted to build a place for everyone to remember their pets.”
The idea came to him three years ago, after the loss of Fast, when he was just six. That vision, shaped by a child’s grief and deep affection for animals, has grown into a colorful garden for reflection and remembrance. Built with $2,000 in donations and months of volunteer work, the garden offers a quiet escape to grieve, to celebrate and to heal.
The memorial features a small wooden bridge painted in the colors of a rainbow, inspired by the poem “The Rainbow Bridge,” a popular piece of writing by Edna Clyne-Rekhy in 1959. The poem describes a lush green meadow “just this side of Heaven,” where pets run and play, waiting to reunite with their humans. For millions, it's become a comforting vision of eternal reunion.
The bridge was also modeled after a real-life Rainbow Bridge in North Carolina, which became a pilgrimage site for grieving pet owners before it was destroyed by Hurricane Helene in 2024. It’s since been rebuilt.
“We wanted to build something here that everyone could use,” said Rev. Catherine Dearlove, the pastor of Trinity MCC. “This was an idea that came from Antin, and it’s now a space where people can come, place collars, ashes, plaques — whatever they need to honor their pets.”
Dearlove’s connection to the project is deeply personal. Earlier this year, she lost her 12-year-old Tibetan spaniel, Simba.
“He would come up and cuddle me all the time, and he was cheeky,” she said. “Then suddenly he got sick and passed. It was absolutely heartbreaking. It was like losing a child. To have somewhere to put his collar, to sit and remember, it means the world.”
Visitors to the memorial can walk over the bridge, sit on a nearby bench or add to the growing collection of collars and keepsakes hung along the railings. The garden, once overgrown and wild, was transformed by members of the church, neighbors and Antin’s family — one weekend and one workday at a time.
“We just started picking up sticks,” said Lynn Young, Antin’s mother. “Every Sunday after church, every spare moment. It was hot, it was slow, but it came together. Antin helped too — digging, weeding. He didn’t just dream it up; he worked for it.”
Dearlove said the garden represents more than just loss — it’s a reminder of the way pets connect us as people.
“In times like these where there’s so much division and anger,” she said, “our pets are something that bring us together. Nobody asks who you voted for when you talk about your dog. It’s just love.”
That message resonated with Paul and Allie Jaffe, a couple who came to honor their pit bull, Annie, who died earlier this year at age 12. A pink collar — hers — now rests on the bridge.
“She was our everything,” said Paul Jaffe, a local veterinarian. “The kind of dog who would sleep with you, sit beside you. There’s no way to explain that kind of loyalty.”
Allie Jaffe, a retired teacher, wore heart-shaped earrings printed with Annie’s face.
“It’s a little thing,” she said, “but it helps.”
The couple was visibly moved by the space — not just its visual beauty but its emotional atmosphere.
“You can feel the love here,” said Paul Jaffe. “You really can.”
Saturday’s opening wasn’t just about mourning, but also about celebration. Several attendees brought photos and stories of their pets, swapping memories and hugs under the trees. Some brought flowers, others just sat on benches in silence, letting themselves feel whatever came.
Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford, who spoke at the opening, called the garden a model of community compassion.
“Antin’s vision shows us how much our young people have to teach,” she said. “This is what happens when we listen to them.”
The Rainbow Bridge Memorial isn’t meant to be a one-time event but a lasting, living space. Visitors are encouraged to return, add to the memorial, and find peace there as often as needed.
“There’s so much love and healing in a place like this,” said Lynn Young. “For our pets, for ourselves, and for our community.”
As the ceremony ended and the crowd began to trickle out, Antin lingered near the bridge he helped inspire and build. His face lit up as he looked around the garden — the collars swaying in the breeze, the quiet joy of visitors taking it all in.
“It looks even better than I imagined,” he said. “I hope people come and smile when they think about their pets.”