Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden Honors Beloved Pets Locally

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A place for people to honor their pets is coming to a St. Cloud Park. The Central Minnesota Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden has been given city approval for a space in Heritage Park.

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Founder Laura Ellavsky says their mission is to support people with pet loss.

Focal to the project is the rainbow bridge, which is a literal bridge where people can hang collars, or laminated pictures, or letters to their pets who have passed away.  The bridge is symbolic of the pet loss poem "Rainbow Bridge," which lots of pet owners get after their animals pass away.

Ellavsky says it is not a cemetery, so no ashes will be allowed.

They have raised enough money to begin construction of the bridge in a few weeks.

Hopefully, early in June, we'll begin building the bridge.  We're hoping to power through a long weekend and get it built.  We have a team of local artists who will come in and paint the rainbow and some other details on the bridge.

They are still hoping to raise an additional $35,000 for a garden space and to get water to the garden.

The Central Minnesota Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden is based on a similar bridge that was built in North Carolina.

Ellavky says she got the idea to create the space when she lost her dog in 2024 and was looking for support in the community, somewhere other than just online.

Read More: Exploring St. Cloud's Heritage Park |