Editor’s note: still photos and video are available on request
PULLMAN, Wash. For Bill Johnson, the bicycle ride he makes every year is a gift he offers to his lost pets.
For the third year in a row, Johnson has biked from his home in Cle Elum to Pullman to raise money for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s just great being out there riding, knowing that it’s for a great purpose,” said Johnson.
This year’s ride is among the most successful raising over $10,000 to bring the three-year project to more than $40,000 in donations. The money goes towards the Sonny Angel and Cody Jo’s Gift of Hope Endowment Johnson established in honor of his two dogs. The fund is used to support and care for WSU animal patients who need life-saving procedures but have no owners, or whose owners do not have the means to pay for the care.
“They were both gracious and giving and I think this is what they would have wanted. So that’s why I’m doing it,” Johnson said.
The idea for the ride began when Johnson’s Golden retriever “Sonny” was lost to canine lymphoma in 2006. The route he takes retraces his friend’s last days when the two would travel back and forth to WSU for cancer treatments. This year, a team of riders connected to WSU’s Cancer Treatment Center joined up with Johnson to ride in from Washtucna.
“I think that what Bill is doing means a lot,” said Dr. Jeff Bryan, WSU Veterinary Oncologist. “Taking his pain, taking what his animals, his good friends meant to him and turning that into hope and help for other people, I think that is a very compelling message and we just had to be part of it.”
Donations can still be made by going to: https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-prd/donors/Johnson.aspx.
Riders are already making plans to join up with Johnson to complete the entire route next year.
