Bicyclist Rides to Remember Lost Canine Friend
Why does Bill Johnson ride?
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Next Ride: August 21, 2008
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
Contact: Darin Watkins (509) 335-4456 or
dwatkins@vetmed.wsu.edu
PULLMAN, Wash.—
Last Edited: Apr 30, 2008 8:31 AM
