04/02/2026
There are no words to express the magnitude of this loss but I will sure try.
On Monday, February 2nd, I made the beyond difficult decision to help my sweet Rae Bell cross the rainbow bridge.
Rae embodied light, loyalty, bravery, grit, determination, an impenetrable will to never give up, and most of all unconditional love. Her absence has left a large hole in my barn family. However, I feel her spirit in the breeze as I do chores and if you listen carefully you can hear the sound of her feet running across the sand.
I know this is a loss for my clientele as well, seeing as Rae was a huge part of the therapy work we do. If you need grief counseling for the loss of Rae please reach out and I will get you in touch with some other incredible counselors. This loss is too difficult for me to assist clients with on a deep level, as I too am working through stages of grief.
For those of you curious about what happened, continue reading:
Most of you know Rae was in an accident involving a horse 4 months ago. During the set of x-rays taken to diagnose her injuries, the vets found that her spine was fused significantly. This could have been genetic or due to a birthing injury. The last 4 months I have been rehabbing the multiple breaks in her legs and toes. She got out of her cast a month ago and we began rehabbing and building strength! She was never going to be completely sound again, but that did not matter to me. I just wanted her to find some strength and enjoyment. She was doing really well until about a week and half ago. I noticed some slight changes in her gate and grew concerned. I called the vet to schedule more imaging of all of her legs, spine, pelvis, and knees. She grew increasingly sore over-night and I knew something was very wrong. Last Thursday at the vet appointment I looked through the x-rays with my incredible vet. Rae's back had gotten significantly worse and was putting her at incredible risk for catastrophic injuries such as nerve and spinal cord damage. The lack of mobility in her spine and pelvis led to her knees taking a lot of extra impact...she had a torn ACL and her meniscus did not look great either. Her bones were all healed from the breaks but the arthritis was already making itself known. ACL surgery was not an option, a wheel-chair was not an option, she had simply run out of legs, out of spine, and essentially out of body. She was a ticking time bomb and the only thing I could guarantee was ahead for her was even more pain. So, I made the most difficult decision in the world and scheduled a time to let her go. We spent the weekend doing all of her favorite things and I spoiled her endlessly. On Monday night I held her in my arms as she took her last breath and slipped into a world where pain no longer lingered in her body.
Thank you to Rocky Mountain Animal Hospital for being such an incredible part of Rae's journey, your kindness and love for her was such a gift. Thank you to Jessica Simkin for doing an end of life photoshoot with Rae and I, those photos will be cherished forever.
