My Buckwheat was 11 years old and had to be put to sleep on Monday, August 9, 1999. He was a English Cocker Spaniel, all solid black color. He had severe episodes of kidney failure and after much treatment, the vet, my husband and I decided it was time to put him to rest. It was the most devastating thing I ever had to go through! That same nite, I cried and cried and felt extremely alone. I kept talking to my Buckwheat and praying for him to give me some sort of sign to let me know he was okay! Somehow, out of the clear blue sky, I found the Rainbows Bridge Animal Chat Room web site and immediately signed in to find someone to chat with. I immediately started chatting with several different people. Most of them left the chat room, then I came across a woman who went through a kidney failure with her dog and had to put hers down about a month or so before mine. We began to chat, and must have chatted that very same nite for hours! We discovered that we had so many things in common that we just about freaked out! We took down each others email addresses and have been in touch every day since. I truly believe Buckwheat gave me this sign in helping me find this person through this website/chat!! I thank God for her coming into my life and for all the friends I have chatted with and met through Rainbow Bridge! I have another dog, Lacy who is 11 years old, an English Springer Spaniel, who was also pretty sad in sensing our other dog was no longer around. I was so devastated for her in her companionship loss, so I adopted a 3 year old male Brittany Spaniel from the Brittany Spaniel Rescue, here in Florida. His name is Hunter, and brings us so much love and happiness, and a dear friend and companion to Lacy, my springer spaniel! At times I look into Hunter's eyes, and I get so overwhelmed by the love that I feel and somehow know in my heart that my dog, Buckwheat has given me another sign! Thank you to the creators of Rainbow Bridge and for all pet lovers around the world that truly understand the grief you truly go through in a pet loss situation! My prayers go out to all of you. Love to all, Diane Goguen