Aimee’s Garden officially opened Saturday, paying tribute to a husky puppy who died as a result of animal cruelty in January.
The Erie Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial Garden celebrated their first ever “Honor Pets Over the Rainbow Bridge Day” with the opening of Aimee’s Garden in Scott Park.
“Being here together, I think, helps us all through the grief, and it’s just important to have that bond with other people that feel the same way,” said Debbie Garcia, bridge coordinator.
Aimee, a six-month-old husky pup whose tragic death made waves across the community and beyond this past January, inspired continued support, from lawmakers cracking down on animal cruelty with Aimee’s Law to Saturday’s ceremony.
‘Aimee’s Garden’ dedication ceremony to pay tribute to neglected animals
“You know, those needless cases of suffering that just don’t make sense to anybody that are just truly evil acts, it’s just nice to know that that life was not in vain,” said Ruth Thompson, executive director of the ANNA Shelter. “She died loved, you know, and that’s the only thing that kind of gives me solace, is that, you know, she did know that people cared about her and loved her at the end.”
“The community outreach when that happened; calling, wanting to buy Aimee a brick, wanting to do something big for Aimee, we decided to honor her with her own garden and her statue,” Garcia said.
Those in attendance were encouraged to fill both sides of the bridge with flowers to pay tribute to both Aimee and all other pets who have crossed over the rainbow bridge.
Organizers said they believe all animals deserve love, compassion and protection, and they hope this new addition brings more awareness to preventing animal cruelty.
“I think what we’re doing now, just getting it out there, letting people know that there are alternatives and there are people to call when these kind of things come up, you see it, you wanna say something,” Thompson said.
Aimee’s Garden will serve as a reminder of pets lost, positive changes made, and the work that still needs to be done to protect animals in our community.
“It’s a reminder there’s hope. There’s hope that together, we can all do something to keep this from happening to other animals,” Garcia said.
“I look at the way we treat each other as humans, it doesn’t surprise me how we treat our animals. So, you know, just more work on being a more compassionate, caring community,” Thompson said.
The garden is now open to the public to celebrate the lives of cherished pets and honor Aimee’s continued legacy.
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