GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Ronan is a one-year-old labrador who might only have a few weeks left to live. His story is a lesson in finding the silver lining and making the most out of a tragic situation.
Mariah Klocke was first introduced to Ronan about seven weeks ago. His owner, at that time, sent an email to a dog rescue called Hearts of Hope. where Klocke is a medical director. The owner explained how they were unable to care for Ronan's medical needs and pay for an eye surgery.
“They surrendered him to me," Klocke explained. "Hanging out with him for an hour, I realized something bigger is going on. He can't see well, he can't hear. They did a CT scan, which came back normal, but he had a stroke. It became evident that he's had many strokes in his past.”
Klocke said that news came as a shock. They were unsure how to best handle his situation, with so much working against Ronan.
"We thought, 'Oh, yeah, we can fix his eyes and get him to a happy home.' We didn't realize that we were going to be that happy home, and our time with him would be cut short.”
They took a risk, and Klocke said welcoming Ronan into her home has been nothing but a blessing.
She has two young daughters, who have both developed loving relationships with Ronan.
They are unsure how much longer Ronan has to live. Klocke guessed it might only be another one or two months.
To make the most out of the time they do have together, the Klockes created a bucket list for Ronan, filled with fun activities for him to complete before he passes.
The first item on the list for Ronan is "Have my 1st birthday pawty," which happened just a few weeks ago. It was Hawaiian-themed, and Ronan wore leis with his puppy friends.
Some of the other items include "Play in the sprinkler," "Live the Michigan cottage life," "Attend a bonfire" and "Make friends at the bar/brewery."
On Tuesday, FOX 17 helped Ronan check a few other items off his bucket list, by feeding Ronan his first-ever pup cup and cheeseburger, having a picnic in the park, making him a local celebrity and trying to get Ronan famous on TikTok.
Click this link to watch the TikTok video we filmed and help Ronan live out his puppy dream!
Klocke said she thought it was the "best day of his life."