Parks and Rec Board to explore “rainbow bridge” pet memorial

The Parks and Recreation Board voted Tuesday to form a working group tasked with exploring the creation of a “rainbow bridge” pet memorial at a city park. The proposed interactive feature would allow park visitors to honor their pets, particularly dogs, that have passed away.

Chair Pedro Villalobos highlighted the success of similar rainbow bridges in parks across the country, suggesting Austin explore undertaking a similar project. 

“There are certain city parks throughout the United States where they have created a bridge that is rainbow-colored and allows people the opportunity to tie collars, or something meaningful from their pets, as a way to honor and remember their pets,” Villalobos said. 

Villalobos said the rainbow bridge could turn a park location into a meaningful and interactive destination for pet owners, further enhancing Austin’s reputation as a dog- and pet-friendly community. 

The working group will focus on assessing the feasibility of bringing the concept to life.

“The purpose of the working group would be to figure out what this can look like and then bring forward a resolution to the board to vote on,” Villalobos said. “(We) can recommend City Council take it as an initiative to invest the time, money and resources necessary to make it a reality.” 

The Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved the creation of this working group. 

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