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Ireland's Favourite Groomer 2017

Our 3rd year of running "Ireland's Favourite Groomer" !!

We always get such amazing nominations that this year we want to make the competition even bigger and better! 

First we need you to nominate your groomer - do this by sending us a picture of YOUR puppy and tag your groomers on the photo. You can do this on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, we will be running this comp across all our channels so the more the merrier!

WHAT TO DO: upload your picture, tag us (so we can see it obviously!) and tag your groomers too or say their name in the post!

We will round up all nominees by December 20th and then announce the shortlist for voting giving all those shortlisted a very Merry Christmas indeed <3

If your puppy and groomer win, the Groomer gets an "Ireland's Favourite Groomer 2017" beautiful glass trophy and you and your puppy win their gorgeous little furry face forever memorialised on one of our Glass Photo Weights!

 

AND...THE WINNER(S) are......Julie Smith and Louise Connolly!!!!!

We couldn't choose between these two beauts. They truly have such dedicated clientele and such passion for their jobs that it was a clear winner to choose the two! Double trouble indeed! <3

Both will win a trophy saying "Ireland's Favourite Groomer 2017", have their photos taken and the featured puppy(s) win their gorgeous little furry face forever memorialised on one of our Glass Photo Weights! We have never seen such amazing love and trust and celebration of our furry ones than with these two. ALL of the nominees are fantastic and will receive a small prize. It warms our hearts to see such love out there for our furry babies. Keep up the lovin' guys. #StrongerTogether xxx

 

Thanksgiving Competition

Thanks a million

We have been going for nearly 4 years now and what an amazing journey it has been and we are still going strong and developing our range to suit you, our customers. We've been through so much with you and we are thankful that you share some of your most heartbreakingly beautiful moments with us.

When trying to decide on designs for our collections we usually play around with different shapes and colours and as a result we have a few 'samples' that we don't need anymore because they have become a permanent part of our collections.

We have 4 beautiful pieces here (obviously with NO ash!) that we want to give to you in thanks for your support. All you have to do is comment on Facebook "LOVE", Leave the same comment below or send us an email to info@rainbowbridge-memorials.com with the Subject/Message LOVE and your address and that's it!

We will choose 4 lucky winners at random and who knows we might even be in the mood to give EVERYONE who enters a little something ;-)

Winner will be chosen from a hat LIVE on Facebook at 8pm on ThanksGiving which is Thursday 24th of November!

Irish Dog Breeds

 The Dogs of Ireland.

Being Irish I might have a special place in my heart for these breeds but I think they truly represent Ireland, the Irish spirit and the warm Irish soul.

Irish red setters and Bus Eireann

Independent, stubborn, intelligent and always up to no good, the Irish Setter sounds like my perfect dog! It is a tireless puppy that will hunt in wet or dry weather. The name setter comes from the knack of ‘setting’ which means locating and point out game birds. It is a popular dog with American politicians.

Such a beautiful dog both physically and mentally, there are two types. The red one is the more physically glamorous with its luscious red locks. It is the icon of one of the most famous bus brands in Ireland Bus Eireann. The red and white one faced near extinction during WWI. So much so, that it is pretty possible that every current red and white Irish setter has descended from a poorly female puppy what was given to a Maureen Cuddy in 1940. She almost single handedly saved this special breed from extinction.

Irish water spaniel

Another Irish breed - the little known (probably because of its name!) Irish pup is the Irish Water Spaniel. It’s such an interesting breed. It has two coats - one short, dense and thick layer that provides warmth and insulation. Their outer layer provides protection and water resistance.

 Irish greyhound

Lastly we could not mention Irish dog breeds without mentioning the noble Irish Wolfhound. It has played its part in much folklore, many historic battles, featured in fairytales and more but there is nothing imaginary about this gentle giant. They are known for their hunting prowess but also their companionship, which gave way to the saying “Gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked.” Often owned by nobility Irish Greyhounds have been homed with Richard III, Anne Boyleyn, Henry VII, Queen Elizabeth I and George Washington to name but a few.

The Vatican and me, Head to Head!

So the latest this week was the ‘ruling’ from the Vatican who ‘ordered’ Catholics to keep ashes in a sacred place rather than at home. Umm sorry now, I consider myself catholic and I don’t see anything MORE sacred than my own home where love and family are the biggest contributors??!

They also reckon the ‘remains of the faithful’ should be left in consecrated ground such as a cemetery plot which is interesting because we have to pay for said plot.
Church authorities also say that ashes must not be scattered in the air, on land or at sea, but yet these are all of ‘god’s’ creation are they not???

I’m sorry but I am not having it, yes of course I am biased as this affects my business of cremation memorials but I think it is a load of BS, and JUST when I was starting to dig our current Pope.

People are turning to more natural and green alternatives - natural burials, scattering ashes in the sea or on land are all deemed more natural currently.

My business is memorial jewellery, putting cremated ashes into jewellery so people can keep them close to them for as long as they live. I am catholic so what does this make me? Unfatihful? A Judas?

For me, this ‘ruling’ has nothing to do with religion at all and more with the church making money and exercising their control over ‘the faithful’. Well those ‘faithful’ are about to become the faithful departed if they don’t sort their beans out!

They cannot just make rules up as they go along. One minute cremation is out, then for convenience sake, it's in but don’t separate the ashes! Then it must be on sacred ground. Enough already! Sacred is whatever is SACRED TO YOU, the loved ones left behind. End of story.

My fortune and my calling...

I’m usually pretty good with words, whether its talking or writing but for some reason this blog has taken me a while to get down on paper and, even verbally, I have only told a few people even though I knew it was my duty (sounds bit harsh) to tell you about it because if youre reading this, you are more than likely a customer of mine, whether directly or indirectly. Most of my customers know my vibe and whther its that Ive done a piece directly for you and your furry friend or you are a vet or groomer or crematorium owner who I work with to get my message out, you know how soft and sentimental (and squidgy!) I am, so this story means a lot to me and hopefully will to you guys too.

 

Two months ago I found myself at crossroads in life, I was splitting my time between NYC and Dublin, I had friends and family in both and loved both cities dearly. One was home and one was quickly becoming home. I have a great relationship with my mom and we love to do fun acitvities together. One of those things is the occassional trip to a fortune teller, tarot reader or some such!

 

So we headed up to Dundalk to a fabulous woman called Romina. I walked in the door, made myself comfortable and, as she asked me to, allowed my aura and spirit to fill the room. When she sat down she told me that although she was a card reader and not a medium, she often had spirits visit who wished to communicate with the living person who was having the reading. This was happening to me. She said there was a gentleman who wanted to communicate with me but she also told me that something else unusual was occurring and that was a noise of dogs barking and cats purring and both were trying to communicate a message. Not once did I reveal the business I was in, or even that I had a business! The man said that the animals just wanted to convey a simple message, a message of thanks to me.

 

Needless to say I sat there and cried. I have a pretty good relationship with anyone who has directly become a customer of mine, it goes with the nature of what I do. Most of my customers are beyond grateful that I can help provide them with some form of solace in their time of grief and this humbles me in a way I can never express. It’s a privilage to do what I do but to know that the puppies and kitties that have passed on and passed through my care were thankful too? Well that just signed my ‘calling card’ that this bsuiness and this career is the vocation for me and I am so happy to tell all of my customer of time passed that your little furry baby was more than likely a part of this gang who sent a message and just so you know, they are happy and waiting for you at Rainbow Bridge, have no doubt about that! <3

Best dog cities in the USA

What makes a dog friendly city? Its not just the number of dogs but also the amenities available such as off leash dog parks, restaurants, accommodations and businesses that welcome and cater to dogs but also legislation that favors dogs.
  1. Austin, Texas – 18 dog friendly parks, a dogs only swimming spot, over 100 pet friendly hotels, a mobile canine specific food truck, loads of stunning hiking trails and even dog yoga or doga!
  2. Boulder, Colerado – youre not a pet parent here but a guardian.Hiking trails and a serious focus on outdoor pursuits their restaurants all welcome dogs on their outdoor patios.
  3. Crystal City, Virgina – Doggy date nights are the norm here with outdoor movie nights, weekly 5km runs, a Pups n Pilsner festival, a weekly Blues, Brews and Barks outdoor music event .
  4. Ithaca, New York – I mean if a doggy date night is on the agenda then I want it here because they offer dog friendly hotels, wineries, breweieres, apple picking farms, campsites and of course the hiking trails.
  5. Miami Beach, Florida – Miami has two beaches specifically designed for dog lovers and their furry friends and they also open their botanical gardens to our four legged friends.
  6. San Diego, California – They started the whole off leash park thing off in 1972 so it would be rude to omit this city. Theres even doggy kayaking and paddle boarding!! FUN!
  7. Sante Fe, New Mexico – An artist mecca that doesn’t exclude furry four legged friends opens up its art galleries to pooches and also offers countless doggy hotels, restaruants and holiday rentals.

doggy paddle boarding

Adoption - Know your facts - What's your breed?

  • English Mastiff - if you're ok with their slobber and their serious size
  • Dalmatian - perfect for the runner
  • Pitbull - Great for people who don't want to groom often. 
  • Shih Tzu - be prepared for serious grooming and teddy bear cuddles
  • Pugs - the perfect lap dog who love everyone and every thing!
  • French Bulldogs – great for couch potatos!
  • Poodles – great if you're a budding hairdresser
  • Jack Russells – perfect match if you want an active, assertive and smart dog
  • Golden retriever – do you have a big play area? Garden? Don’t mind dog hair? Like running?
  • Huskies – Best for serious outdoor types
  • Pinscher – has no fear and LOTS of energy – be warned!
  • German Shepards – respond well to training, intelligance and active owners
  • Dachshunds – will curl you around their….paws….butter wouldn’t melt!
  • Border Collies – Again active lifestylers apply – they need large running area
  • Terriers - perfect match if you live in a small space and like cuddles on the couch
  • Greyhounds - while known for their speed they do well in small spaces too

Dog Breeds for adoption

When considering adoption ask yourself

  • Whats your energy level?
  • What size will work for you and your home?
  • How much grooming are you prepared to do?
  • How much shedding can you bear?
  • Are kids involved/around?
  • What is your noise level tolerance?

Please note ALL dogs need adequate outdoor time, running, walks, rest, feeding, grooming