Bicyclist Rides to Remember Lost Canine Friend

PULLMAN, Wash. — Animal lover Bill Johnson says he bicycles to remember his dog Sonny. 

For the second year in a row, Johnson has biked from his home in Cle Elum to Pullman to raise awareness and money for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

“I’m getting much better at it,” said Johnson who completed the 207 mile journey this year in less than 16 hours.

The ride has generated more than $25,000 in donations for the Sonny Angel’s Gift of Hope Endowment at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Johnson established the fund to be 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.  

“How do you explain to a little kid that you don’t have enough money to save the family pet? That would be a tough one. That’s what this is about,” said Johnson.

The fund is named for Johnson’s Golden retriever “Sonny” who 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. 

The ride has become such a success; he plans to do it every year.

For more information: www.johnsontiinc.com/sonny.html .

Photographs and video are available per request.