Grieving the Loss of a Pet: A Tribute to Bonnie
We are sad to report that Bonnie, the sweet and gentle reading therapy dog that we had the honor of supporting through our Project PetRAK food sponsorship program, has crossed the rainbow bridge. All of us at Grandma Lucy’s are heartbroken – she was the first dog that we enlisted in our sponsorship program, and her work as a reading therapy dog inspired so many, from early readers in her community of Woodland Park, Colorado, to many who have followed her story through social media and our blog posts. Bonnie’s mom and dad – Sierra and Jon – have shared beautiful tributes to Bonnie below.
To continue Bonnie’s legacy of giving back, we will be donating a 1lb bag of our 3 Bears dog food to one of the local organizations we partner with, Orange County Animal Allies, to support their Canine Literacy Program. Just share this blog on the social account of your choice, and tag Bonnie (@the_big_bon) and Grandma Lucy’s (@Grandmalucys) to participate.
Bonnie’s mom and dad are also asking friends to consider donating a book to a Little Free Library near you in Bonnie’s name. If you do, they’d love for you to tag her (@the_big_bon) in a post about it and share her memory. Her legacy was built on love, service, and the joy of reading and they hope to keep that legacy alive.
From Sierra, Bonnie’s mom: Bonnie’s Journey to Become a Therapy Dog
On May 4, we said goodbye to our beloved girl, Bonnie. We were incredibly lucky to have shared four unforgettable years with her, and we hope she felt the same. At 12 years old, Bonnie had experienced so much in her lifetime—both hardship and deep love. She came into our lives after my father passed, and together we began a journey of healing. She stood by me through every tear and every heartache, offering unwavering comfort.
When Bonnie first joined us, she was reactive and had been labeled as unable to socialize with other dogs. Through consistent training, we discovered her reactivity was rooted in fear. As she began to trust us, our entire world shifted. Over the course of two and a half years of structured work, Bonnie blossomed. She gained confidence, found joy, and showed us her true purpose
Bonnie soon began joining us in classrooms and student programs, where her gentle presence had a profound impact. She thrived on the attention and seemed to have a natural desire to comfort those around her. Inspired by this, we pursued a therapy dog certification with the support of several trainers and organizations. Bonnie thrived in her role, pouring her heart into every moment—especially when it involved working with children.
Finding her purpose in service to the community, Bonnie found a wonderful partnership with Grandma Lucy’s. Bonnie began an ambassadorship with Grandma Lucy’s in 2023, and became an official Reading Therapy Dog with them in 2024. Throughout all of Bonnie’s adventures, Grandma Lucy’s has been there to support her.
Bonnie soon began joining us in classrooms and student programs, where her gentle presence had a profound impact. She thrived on the attention and seemed to have a natural desire to comfort those around her. Inspired by this, we pursued a therapy dog certification with the support of several trainers and organizations. Bonnie thrived in her role, pouring her heart into every moment—especially when it involved working with children.
Finding her purpose in service to the community, Bonnie found a wonderful partnership with Grandma Lucy’s. Bonnie began an ambassadorship with Grandma Lucy’s in 2023, and became an official Reading Therapy Dog with them in 2024. Throughout all of Bonnie’s adventures, Grandma Lucy’s has been there to support her.
Even in her final moments, Bonnie’s eyes radiated love. Strangers often remarked on how much love they could see in her eyes—and they were right. She was a beautiful soul with an enormous heart.
It breaks our hearts to share that Bonnie passed unexpectedly. Though she appeared healthy, an undetected tumor in her small intestine caused her organs to fail rapidly.
This has been one of the hardest losses Jon and I have ever experienced, and we’re still finding our way through the grief. Bonnie was deeply loved—not only by us, but by the many families and children she touched in our local community.
Bonnie was more than just a good pup, she was our guardian angel.
Every step we took she was in our shadows waiting to protect, or love, or beg for food and attention.
Bonnie was the world to us. She followed us through every room we have stepped foot in, every jingle of truck keys would have her bolted to the door with that look on her face that says “am I coming with?”
Every hike we took, Bonnie led the way. Fearless and full of unbridled happiness she lead us to heights we never thought we would see.
Every night she would sleep by the door until we went to bed, and every morning we would wake up to her at our bedside.
Bonnie’s huffs and puffs will always be heard as we make food and eat within the silence.
We know that Bonnie will send us a guide who she knows will love us as much as we could have loved Bon.
From Jon: Bonnie’s Incredible Health Transformation
In 2021 we first claimed Bonnie as our own, and unknowingly she came with a lot of health and behavioral problems.
At first, Bonnie could barely get off the floor on her own. Her joints were so inflamed that massive red bleeding hot spots would crack daily, and a small 10 minute walk would have her huffing to the point she needed to stop and lay down. There were days she would be too sore to even enjoy being outside, and we decided we needed to do something more for her.
Jon started Bonnie on 3 daily walks with a priority on making sure Bonnie became the strongest and healthiest version of herself, which in turn led us to a random dog store encounter with a bag of Grandma Lucy’s. Bonnie always had bad gut health issues, after visiting a local pet boutique we decided we needed to put forth a lot more time and energy into the Big Bon. The first thing we were going to do was to make sure her diet and supplements were up to the task.
After a month using Grandma Lucy’s and some resulting supplements, we noticed a massive improvement in Bonnie’s coat. Bonnie’s temperament and personality, as well as her energy levels were all of a sudden off the charts!
We decided a second bag of Grandma Lucy’s would be our go-to. A second month passed, and Bonnie’s massive hot spots were gone, she was able to get off the floor on her own, and her daily walks expanded from 10 minutes to half an hour each.
Eventually, Sierra decided to make some “Bonnie Meals!” for Instagram, just to showcase some of the fancier treats and combinations we found that Bonnie truly enjoyed, and that made her healthy! These posts caught the attention of Grandma Lucy’s social media team, fostering a loving partnership with Bonnie, including monthly food and samples to give to all our pet friends.
These monthly orders improved Bonnie’s health ten-fold. Over the course of the partnership, and using Grandma Lucy’s on our own, Bonnie went from a dog who was 96 pounds, and so obese she could barely walk, to a sprinting through the mountains, healthy, 65 pounds. Grandma Lucy’s helped us bring out the adventurer in Bon, allowing her to experience the joy and happiness of being outside again. Without Grandma Lucy’s, we don’t believe Bonnie would have lived nearly as fruitful of a life as she did. We love you Big Bon, thank you for being such an amazing adventuring companion.
We’ll always love you Bonnie – may your giving spirit live on in everyone’s lives you touched.
If you or someone you love is grieving the loss of a beloved pet, please know you’re not alone. Support is available, and the resources below may bring comfort during this difficult time.
🐾 Pet Loss Support Hotlines
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ASPCA Pet Loss Hotline – 1-877-GRIEF-10 (1-877-474-3310)
Staffed by trained counselors to help those mourning a pet.
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Pet Loss Support Denver: Provides a comprehensive list of support hotlines by state and time zone here
Therapy & Grief Counseling
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Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) Website: aplb.org
Offers chat rooms, support groups, and professional referrals with a membership.
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BetterHelp is an online therapy provider that offers pet grief support from licensed therapists here
Online Communities
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Reddit's r/petloss – A supportive space to share memories and receive empathy from others.
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Facebook Groups – Search “Pet Loss Support” or “Pet Grief Support” for private communities where you can connect with others going through similar experiences.
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Rainbow Bridge (rainbowsbridge.com) – Offers memorial pages, poetry, and a Monday candle-lighting ceremony for grieving pet owners.
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