Beloved dog Ronin receives community farewell

by Sarah Glass

Hundreds of Bitterroot Valley residents virtually wished the 12 -year-old German shepherd, Ronin, affectionately called Moose, well wishes before his scheduled journey across “the rainbow bridge” on June 18. For a week before the set date, Lisa Bone, Ronin’s human guardian, invited members of the community to stop by their place of residence in Stevensville via social media to visit with the pup, sit in the yard with him and give him one of his favorite treats.

The response resulted in an outpouring of support, giving Ronin a week to meet new friends. For Bone, it was a cathartic experience that brought strangers together in a caring observation of the love and loss of a pet.

Bone took Ronin to the vet for a bump on his nose early in June. Unfortunately, they went “in for a bump and came out with a cancer diagnosis.” Because of his age and arthritis, Ronin was not a candidate for surgery.

“What do you do for a week knowing that you have to put your dog down?” Bone wanted to have Ronin euthanized at home, where he was surrounded by comfort and loved ones. Before his scheduled departure, she knew she wanted to do something special for him.

“I thought my neighbors would stop by,” said Bone, speaking of her invitation posted on the Facebook group page Moving Stevensville Forward. The number of people who stopped deeply moved her. There were days during that week when she and Ronin would be out in the yard with visitors for hours. Some people even brought their own pets.

A small seed of an idea “became something incredible because of the community,” said Bone. “They made it what it was. The outpouring of love and support was incredible.” Where people came together as strangers, they departed as friends.
“[Ronin] brought us all together,” said Bone. “He was a gentle giant who loved everyone.”

Ronin came to Bone by chance. “I have a horse rescue and sanctuary. I worked with Animal Control in California because there’s a big horse abandonment and neglect problem there. I don’t know why, but they called me and said we have a very neglected senior dog that needs to be rescued, so I took him in.”

Bone thought that for whatever time the dog had left, she would give him a good life. As it turned out, the dog was just in bad shape when he was rescued; he was about two years old. This meant she would have another decade to make memories with Ronin. She recalled that he liked to roll in the grass and loved the snow. There was one day when she went looking for him outside and found him calmly herding four deer across the street as if it were the most natural thing. He is now interred underneath his favorite tree.

Bone expressed her gratitude to the community, stating that she will be there if she sees anyone else put out a similar call to organize a special farewell for their pet.