Dogs give us joy, loyalty and unconditional love. It's often said that their only fault is that they can't live forever.

But behind the John Toro Sports Complex in Torrington is a place where their spirits do. It is a real-life Over the Rainbow Bridge that allows all pet parents to grieve. "We as humans have a cemetery. This is where they come back, and they feel like they are visiting their pet that has crossed over. It's just very special to me," explained Karen Rakyta Bozak, who spearheaded the memorial after she learned of one in North Carolina. "I said, 'I need to do this.'" Rakyta Bozak brought it to Torrington's mayor, who was immediately on board, and then the Parks and Recreation Department, which signed off on the idea. To build the bridge and trail, they had the help of Scout leader Mark Jacquemin and two local scouts who needed to participate in a community service project to earn their Eagle Scout badges. For Rakyta Bozak, the passion project was deeply personal. It followed the death of her Boxer Lily. "She was definitely my soul dog," Rakyta Bozak told News 12, tearing up. "I get emotional when I talk about it, but I said my words to her and told her I loved her. And I kept holding her and petting her, and she took one last look at me, and then she just laid down." The tranquil space opened in August 2024 and includes a fence that visitors have filled with pictures of pets who are no longer alive but forever in their hearts. Hundreds of collars, tokens, toys and personal messages also hang from the rainbow-painted bridge. A paw print memorial garden offers people another way to honor their pets. "We've had people visiting here from Florida. We've had people come from Pennsylvania. We've had people from New Jersey. I've had people send me things in the mail from across the country, send me photos, send me collars," Rakyta Bozak said. "They thank me for doing this—that it means so much to them to have a place to come." Among that group is Kelly Marquis, of Bethel. "It was one of the best places I've ever been in my life," Kelly Marquis stated. For her, it helped her mourn her dog, Chesney. "He was the most sensitive dog—friendliest, cuddly. He was my heart," Kelly Marquis explained emotionally. Her daughter brought her to the bridge as a surprise on a particularly hard day. "I found it on Facebook as I'm just scrolling along," explained Shay Marquis, of Southbury. "You could just see, simply through a screen, the emotion that comes with what she set up." In person, those feelings were even more intense. "It's calm. It's like you feel the animal there, like they know you're there. The signs that you read—it's what you hope your dog is saying to you, you know, that they're OK," Kelly Marquis said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "If I could go every weekend, I would." "I think it creates a sense of closure that you wouldn't necessarily find anywhere else," Shay Marquis added. It's been that way for Rakyta Bozak too, who admitted she is still not over Lily's loss. But she said creating the haven has been part of her healing process. "Through all of the people that I've met, that have come to me and hugged me and thanked me and cried in my arms and told me their stories, it really gives purpose to her loss for me now because I've touched so many lives through this, which really makes me happy," Rakyta Bozak said with a smile. The Over the Rainbow Bridge closes for the winter on Nov. 15 and will reopen April 1, weather permitting, but a Facebook group allows the community to connect year-round.