GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Ronan, a labrador retriever who checked off items on his puppy bucket list before his passing, will now forever be remembered through a children's book.
On Friday, Ronan's foster-mom-turned-full-time-owner, Mariah Klocke, debuted Ronan's Bucket List at a fundraiser for Hearts of Hope, the Grand Rapids dog rescue where she is employed as medical director.
"He was something special," Klocke said. "I got to work through my grief — step-by-step — as I was illustrating. By the time the book was done, I felt nothing but joy."
The book is both written and illustrated by Klocke, who learned graphic design software to draw the one-year-old dog's features and favorite memories.
"He has a legacy. His life had a purpose, and I'm going to be sharing that with everybody," she said.
In 2023, Klocke met Ronan after his owners could no longer care for his medical needs and pay for an eye surgery. A trip to Hearts of Hope revealed he had suffered multiple strokes over the course of his life due to a neurological disorder.
Klocke took him in, a temporary solution that soon turned permanent. He was there to stay, with a bucket list of things to do before his passing to boot.
READ MORE: Before It's Too Late: Helping Ronan check items off his Doggie Bucket List
In late July, Ronan passed away. During his summer with the Klocke family, he completed 26 of the 32 items on his bucket list, including "Have my 1st birthday pawty" and "Be a local celebrity."
Ronan's Bucket List helped Klocke's kids process Ronan's passing, a page depicting a Rainbow Bridge with Ronan's late doggy pals waiting for him on the other side provided an analogy of the afterlife.
For other families grieving the loss of a dog or another pet, Klock believes the book serves a similar purpose.
"It shows that there is happiness beyond," Klocke said.
At Hearts of Hope's Raise the Woof fundraiser on Friday, a three-legged bulldog walked in between tables full of merchandise and items included in a silent raffle. Noodles is his name. He's a hospice dog, Klocke says, and has spina bifida. The birth defect cause so much pain in his legs that he tried to chew off one of them. Still, Klocke took him in.
"I get to cherish them, knowing that I did right by them and they got to live the happy, loving life that they deserved," she said. "I want to make sure every dog has that opportunity, so we keep saying, 'Yes.'"
To buy Ronan's Bucket List, click here.
