Memorializing Mio

Artist Maggie Weakley, shows the photo of her dog, Mio, on her phone that inspired her mural “The Rainbow Bridge,” that she painted in memory of her chihuahua, Mio, at the Humane Society of Marion County in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, June 19, 2026. Weakley, a long-time supporter of the Humane Society of Marion County, painted the acrylics mural in the Rainbow Room during two weekends in May after Mio passed away in February. Mio was almost 17 years old and was adopted by Maggie and her husband, Kent Weakley, at the Humane Society of Marion County. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.

Home » Community

Posted June 22, 2026 | By Susan Smiley-Height / Photos by Bruce Ackerman

For many of us, our pets are members of the family. They are cherished, cared for and truly loved. And when they pass away, our pets take a piece of our heart and we deeply mourn the loss.

Saying goodbye to loved ones is hard; humans as well as animal companions. It’s emotional. It’s gut-wrenching. Sometimes you just want a quiet place in which to grieve.

For pets, it is often said that when they die, they cross the Rainbow Bridge. Many feel this is a place where a dog can once again romp and jump happily or a cat can snooze in a sunny spot, all while waiting to be reunited with their beloved human.

Now, there is a special place in the Humane Society of Marion County’s veterinary clinic where people can say goodbye in a private and supportive environment. The Rainbow Room offers a dedicated entry/exit door and is a quiet place in which to sit with one’s pet as the inevitable happens.

The room features a vivid—and poignant—mural painted by local artist Maggie Weakley, a longtime supporter of the humane society. The acrylic painting includes a portrait of Weakley’s beloved Mio, a Chihuahua she and her husband Kent adopted from the nonprofit 16 years ago.

Weakley recalled how she had been doing some painting at the campus all those years ago and was in the process of packing up her paints when then-president Bruce Fishalow came over with “these little tiny heads” and said, ‘They’re all accounted for except this one.’ I said, ‘Bruce, you’re killing me,’ because I always wanted a little dog. We had big dogs; German shepherd, Australian shepherd.”

Long story short, the Weakley’s welcomed Mio into the family and, later on, Coco, another small breed.

Early in the year, Weakley said she was approached about painting a mural in the Rainbow Room in the clinic.

“I’ve done so many murals, and I’ve done so much artwork for this organization. I love them. They do such good work here and I said, yes, of course I will, but we have some trips planned so I’m going to have to wait.  When we came back, at the beginning of February, Mio started not doing well so we brought him to Dr. Zimmerman. He was suffering and it was heartbreaking to see him walking,” she offered.

On Feb. 23, the Weakley’s said goodbye to Mio in the Rainbow Room.

In May, she returned to the clinic to paint “The Rainbow Bridge” mural.

It took a total of 26 hours, spread over a couple of weekends as she painted while the clinic was closed. She noted that she “worked back to front.”

“I the sky went in first and then there are multiple layers just to get the colors to be that rich,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing. And then the sun, I didn’t quite know how to make that, so I took a little bit longer to figure out how I was going to make it like glow, and towards the end all the detail goes into the animals,” she explained.

Weakley has a propensity for finding hearts in nature, such a leaf or a stone in that shape. She often incorporates hearts into her artwork, and the mural is no exception as each of the four animals in the image has a heart somewhere on its body.

“Like a little bit of love in each one,” Weakley said softly.

On Mio, the heart is obvious; on the others, it might take a minute to find.

Even some of the clouds in the sky are heart shaped.

“Ever after for all, that’s what the Rainbow Bridge represents, with comfort and that they’re going to wait for us,” offered Roseann Morton, chair of the board of directors. “This is a special room. Animals mean a lot.”

With veterinarian Dr. Martha Zimmerman looking on, along with shelter operations manager Austin Burnett, Morton pointed to several white boards in the Rainbow Room, upon which clients have written loving messages to and about their pets, including one from the Weakley’s, in the shape of a heart, of course.

“I think this tells the story of the full circle of the Humane Society. Our mission is to help prevent the cruelty and suffering of animals and since we opened the clinic we have been able to do more, including helping people care for their pets, and that includes those who cross the Rainbow Bridge. This is a specific room where people can come and go directly from the outside and they don’t have to worry about seeing other people and making contact with everyone in the lobby,” Burnett explained. “Sometimes it’s hard to hold it together and this is an intimate space where they can come in and say goodbye to their best friend in private.”

The no-kill organization is located at 701 NW 14th Road, Ocala. It offers an animal shelter with adoptions of felines and canines, the veterinary clinic, a mobile Magic Bark Bus (which was designed by Weakley), a memorial garden and numerous outreach programs. Proceeds from a thrift store at 110 NW 10th St. help fund the 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.

After the clinic opened in April of 2023 (Humane Society of Marion County expands footprint | Ocala Gazette), it quickly became swamped with clientele in search of low-cost veterinary services. Burnett said they are now working to incorporate AI into helping better manage the overflow of calls for appointments.

Morton, ever the dreamer and doer, said she would love to see the clinic expand and also offer 24/7 services.

“It has done more than we expected initially, and we have been impressed by what we’re able to provide, but we want to do more. We have things in our head for future expansion, but you have to have the staff to do it and the money to do it. The need is there,” Morton said with emphasis.

Burnett and Morton both indicated that volunteers are always needed, especially people to foster animals until they can find a forever home for them.

Mio had a forever home with the Weakley’s. Maggie noted on social media when he passed that she would miss his “tiny footsteps that somehow filled every corner of my life.”

“He was always right there beside me. I used to say he was my little heartbeat at my feet—my constant companion, my shadow, my comfort, my joy. Wherever I went, there he was, loving me in that quiet, unconditional way. Mio wasn’t just a dog… he was my heart dog. Those of you who have been blessed enough to have heart animals know this kind of love—and this kind of loss,” she wrote.

My friend Marianne sent this to me, she added, and it feels so perfect: “Until we meet again at Rainbow Bridge, run free, my faithful friend. Your pawprints are forever in my heart.”

To learn more about the Humane Society of Marion County, go to thehsmc.org