| Golden Retriever | Born: December 2005 |
| Male | 85 lbs |
Status: Deceased
We had to say goodbye to our sweet & amazing family member, Walter.
We are grateful we got to celebrate 12 wonderful Gotcha Days together since June 12, 2008.
~ Many Thanks ~
To Walter’s RAGOM foster family who kept him happy & safe,
To Dr. Becca, Stacie & Dr. Allerhand-
Walter’s compassionate chiropractic & acupuncture staff lol.
To Linda- his caring walker. To Trish- his silly “uber” driver.
To Aunty Cheryl- our fun 3-mile walking buddy & Walter’s endless organic carrot supplier.
To Dr. Kokes at VCA Animal Hospital- Walter’s Top Doc for 12 years!
To all of Walter’s friends & family (furry & not) for spoiling him for 12 years,
Donating to RAGOM & the AHS in his memory,
& for making our saddest day a joyous one (July 29, 2020.)
Dearest Walter,
Thank you for enriching our lives with love & adventure.
You were the most awesome, patient, trusting & calm companion.
You were an old soul from the get go.
Paws- BIG. Personality- smart, charming, sweet & endearing.
You were handsome inside & out & a trooper to the end.
How lucky are we to have been so loved unconditionally that makes saying goodbye so “ruff.”
We love & miss you, Puki
(Repeat: Best Dog E-V-A-H )
Love & Hugs,
Walter’s Forever Family
The Biggest Thank You to RAGOM!
6/12/17- It’s my 9-year “Gotcha Day!” Here are a few pics since my last update . . .
 A Golden fall day. |
 A Golden mane. |
 Naptime with my blankie. |
 What’s wrong with this picture? |
 Distracted posing. |
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Thank you for everything you do, RAGOM!!!
xoxo,
Walter (Repeat: Best Dog E-V-A-H :-) & his forever family
6/12/16- It’s my 8-year “Gotcha Day!” Here are a few pics since my last update . . .
 Lake Harriet treat stop. |
 Dad knows I LOVE doggy mini donuts! |
 No caption needed. |
 It was a balmy December 25th! |
 My buddy, TJ! His parents say whenever he sees a Burley, he looks to see if it’s me. |
 Mom & I had to help Herbert to the Rainbow Bridge on 6/1. Very sad. He was almost 11 yrs old- which is pretty good for a “pocket pet!” We love & miss you little Herbie Derbie. |
Thank you, RAGOM!!! xoxo, Walter & One Very Lucky Forever Family
6/12/15- It’s my 7-year “Gotcha Day!” Here are a few pics since my last update . . .
 My typical paws-crossed pose! |
 Winter Walter Whiskers!!! |
 Mom says I need to be kind to all! |
 Herbie’s 10th Gotcha Day is in July! How come he doesn’t grey around the eyes & snout? |
 Lake Harriet rest stop |
 Lake Calhoun Cruise |
Thank you, RAGOM!!! xoxo, Walter & Forever Family
6/12/14- It’s my 6-year “Gotcha Day! Here are a few pics since my last update . . .
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 Can I just wear 3 today, Mom? |
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 Who’s been sleeping in MY bed? |
  Best Dog E-V-A-H |
 Chariot rides all summer long!!! |
My Dad took a job in New York but I am taking good care of my Mom & bunny Herbert!
Thank you, RAGOM!!! xoxo, Walter & Forever Family
6/12/13
It’s my 5-year “Gotcha Day! Here are a few pics since my last update . . .
 Just being me! |
 My original snow angel art! |
 After my bath, Mom thought she was a smartie by “blocking” my couch . . . |
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 Pride 2012! |
 S-p-o-i-l-e-d! |
 In memory of my bunny buddy Nemo. |
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Thank you, RAGOM, my family & I are living the golden life!
xoxo,
Walter
I’ve been beating the heat by biking! I get a lot of compliments when people realize it’s a dog in the Burley! One nice lady said it’s going to put a smile on her face for a month. Many people say, “lucky dog” but my Mom tells them she’s the lucky one. When I let out a little whimper, my Mom says, “What is it Lassie?” Funny Mom- she knows I need a potty break!
Hope you’re enjoying the summer - stay cool! Thank you RAGOM! xoxo
Walter
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 Faster, Mom, Faster |
 Peek-a-boo! |
| It’s my 4-year “Gotcha Day!” My family LOVES me to pieces (can’t you tell?) | |
 Grandma made me a new bed- I’m a lucky dog! |
 Mochi is now full grown (& well behaved haha!) |
 Pride 2011: Prince, Mom, ME! |
 Hurry up Mom, I see a squirrel |
 Spa day at Bubbly Paws! |
 Some kind of yoga doga pose. |
 Mom & Dad’s very special buddies, ME (7?) Herbert (8) & Nemo (9)!!! Thank you, RAGOM! |
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I can’t believe it’s my 3-year “Gotcha Day!” It was June 12, 2008 when my forever family Got ME!!! We’re all doing great (bunnies Nemo & Herbert too!) Hope everyone in RAGOM-land is doing just as well.
Here are some, ok a lot! of pictures since my last update in December . . .
 Winter Wonderland! |
 My Uncle Bruce took this shot of me when I was trying to escape from 2 pups on X-mas Eve & it worked! |
 72-pound lap dog . . . (I knew my mom was cold after shoveling) |
 . . . my other pillow pet- Panda Po! |
 Dreaming of being a bunny like my brothers |
 I must sleep a lot! |
 BFF Mochi is full grown now but I’m still bigger HA! |
 I volunteer every Tuesday- I dog sit my uncle & his partner’s newly adopted, sweet Doberman, Prince! |
Hope to see everyone at Goldzilla 2011
Cheers to RAGOM!
Have you checked your mail lately? Did you notice the RAGOM Holiday Greeting card? (See below.) It’s me!!! I was honored to be the poster dog for 2010! (Thanks Devon!) As “spokesdog,” many thanks to everyone who has donated . . . & if you haven’t- it’s not too late! And like my mom says, “Every bit helps!” Just think, if it weren’t for RAGOM, I’d still be a stray in SD & who knows where I could have ended up. Thanks to RAGOM, I now live in a home where they treat me like Super Dog! Well, there are two Super Bunnies too, but there’s enough love to go around.
3 fur butts: Me, Nemo & Herbert!
Mom & Dad said I could donate to RAGOM in honor of my buddy, Winkie. We miss that Dobie so much. He was 11.5 years old & spoiled rotten . . . like me heehee.
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| Me making sure my BFF, Winkie, is warm. | ||
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Thank you RAGOM
A shout out to RAGOM & honorary RAGOM dogs I got to play with this year- FS Sally the Dane! (see top of page) Bubba (05-251), Doppler (formerly Sam 09-246), Chaz, Pippin (formerly Ronnie 09-278) & Boston (08-317)!
Love,
Walter
Jan, Mitch, Nemo & Herbert too!
June 12th is a very special day in my family- it’s when I was adopted in 2008!!! Since I was found as a stray, we celebrate my birthday on June 12th. I sure hope Nemo & Herbert got me Frosty Paws!
My mom always tells me I am the perfect pup. And even when I’m just sitting waiting for the crosswalk signal to turn green, my dad always gives me kisses on the head. They’re always giving me affection. I guess I must be a good boy.
Last November I developed allergies & got the itchies on my belly & under the arms. Detective mom discovered I am allergic to chicken & eggs. Now I am on a limited ingredient dog food & have a special medicated shampoo so the itchies are almost gone.
 Sweet Pup |
 Me & My Dad |
 Sleepy Pup (Sofa GOOD!) |
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Here are some pics of me with my favorite canine buddies.
 On Squirrel Patrol with Winkie |
 Sleep-over |
 Best In Show: Me & Mochi |
It’s been a great summer already- I got to go to the drive-in movies again! They were playing Shrek Forever After & Iron Man 2. The highlight of the evening was when a little brother & sister came over to visit me before the movie started. Then, when Shrek ended, the boy came over & asked my mom & dad if I liked it or if I slept through it. How sweet is that? After the second movie, the (sleepy) boy came back, petted my head & said goodbye because they were going home. It was the best night.
 Vali-Hi Drive-In . . . is it dusk yet? |
 Me & My Mom Lounging |
Life is awesome thanks to RAGOM!
Hope to see everyone at the pic-o-nic!
xoxo,
Walter
Dear RAGOM,
Saturday was AWESOME! My forever mom & dad surprised me. When they said, “Do you want to go for a ride?” I didn’t know I was on a trip to see my foster dad at his cool work! (No wonder my fur & teeth were done twice.) It’s been over a year since I’ve seen him & I was so excited! He is as nice as ever!! He showed me off to his co-worker who has a 5-month-old Golden Retriever pup so I tried to be a good example.
I didn’t get to see my foster family at the RAGOM picnic because they are very involved with the Upper Midwest Great Dane Rescue (TheGreatDaneRescue.com) & their picnic was on the same day. My forever family bought a RAGOM calendar for my foster family so I got to give it to foster dad in person. I even autographed it (hehe.) He liked my picture & said they also fostered Chopper who is Mr. May in the calendar. Congratulations to RAGOM on their upcoming 25th Anniversary in 2010!
 *Me & my AWESOME foster dad!!* |
Mom & dad said my foster family taught me excellent manners & my foster fur buddies taught me excellent canine social skills. I will always be thankful to RAGOM, especially to my foster family- Matt & Gayle, Emily & Claire, Sally the Great Dane, Chief the St. Bernard & Lucky the cat. (Miss you guys!) I hear they adopted another cat, Ricky, another Great Dane, Lucy, & have been fostering Great Danes. Yep, my foster family is AMAZING!
Dear RAGOM,
My family & I, Walter, want to thank all of the RAGOM picnic organizers, RAGOM, & all of the sponsors for a wonderful pic-o-nic! It was our first time & we all had a great time. The goody bag was full of fun for the humans & especially the dogs. It’s all about the dogs! I love my new squeaky toy, frisbee, treats & bandana. It was a beautiful day for the 5k fun run & walk. My family did the 5k run but dad missed the turn & he & I went for a 7k marathon! I think dad was surprised to see mom waiting for US at the finish line (hehe.)
I’m glad we got to meet Devon, Chaz & Pippin as Devon did the write up on me for the 2010 RAGOM calendar. Yep, I’m Mr. April!! We bought 7 calendars but we might need to buy more since I have a lot of fans- Woof! The whole calendar was nicely done & my mom & dad bought cool t-shirts.
Here are some pictures from the fun day. It was one big dog party! We really liked meeting the people & dogs. Mom & Dad said I was a very good boy. Look for us next year- I will once again be relaxing in my red Coleman Bone Lounger . . . spoiled . . . as it should be!
Many thanks,
Walter & his Forever Family
 * Ragom Picnic September 19, 2009 * |
 * Doggie Registration * |
 * Lots of Activity * |
 * Walter’s Favorite Store * |
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 * Lounging * |
 * Mom’s New T-Shirt * |
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After following the RAGOM website for a year, my husband told me to submit our adoption application before I crashed their website . . . so in May 2008, I did!
We would like to once again thank Barbara & Max N. for our fun & informational home visit, Kelly K. for giving us the opportunity to meet our forever companion, & Matt & Gayle B. for fostering Walter & approving us as his forever family (he misses Emily & Claire & his foster buddies, Sally, Chief & Lucky.) Thanks to everyone who made this RAGOM ride a happy ending.
On June 12, 2008, Walter (Ollie 08-262) became a very special part of our family. We are so lucky to have such an awesome buddy. He is fun, smart, patient, handsome & so well adjusted. Did I mention how lucky we are? Everyone who meets him gives the same compliment, “sweetheart.” We take a 2-mile walk or jog 6 days a week- even throughout the Minnesota winter. He loves the dog park & meeting other dogs. He rarely barks but will let out a “Woof” if needed. Walter loves to sleep in the XXL beanbag dog bed his grandma made especially for him. He has only counter surfed once & got a banana. Hey, can’t blame a guy for thinking he was low on potassium!
80-pound Walter shares a home with a 4-pound Holland Lop, Nemo, & a 3-pound Jersey Wooly, Herbert. In preparation for the doggy/bunny bond, we proceeded with slow introductions & enrolled Walter in 16 weeks of beginner & intermediate obedience school (where he was literally teacher’s pet!) He was such a quick learner that I had to fess up to the instructor that all of the credit goes to Walter, not the trainer. We are happy to report that Walter, Nemo & Herbert ALL have free roam of the house when we are home! And now we have three begging furbutts when we’re eating carrots, bananas, apples, strawberries or blueberries.
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Walter & Nemo |
Walter & Herbie |
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* Lion pose with super-duper paws * |
* Walter's forever family * |
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* Winter warm up * |
* Can't wait to go to the drive-in movie * |
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Walter will always be loved & safe in his forever home
& never ever will be a stray looking in again, thanks to RAGOM!
Many thanks,
Mitch & Jan, Nemo & Herbert & Walter too!
Hey there everyone. Ollie is back!!! If you are regularly on this web site checking out all of the fabulous dogs, then you saw that Ollie was adopted earlier this week. Well, Ollie was brought back to us on Friday evening. Kind of a bummer for Ollie, but great for us, because we love this big boy. And great for you, because this guy may be the perfect addition to your family. The adoptive family was heartbroken that they had to bring him back and they said he was great while he was there. The problem was that their cat was terrified of Ollie and wouldn't come out of hiding. Our playful Ol thought it was all a big fun game of hide and seek in which he needed to find the cat. (What dog wouldn't?) Now, we have a cat here also and Ollie hasn't shown much interest in him, but there may be a couple reasons why: 1) Our cat is mellow and is not afraid of dogs. He also does not run around the house, so if there is no running there can be no chasing; 2) Ollie has a big fur sister here to keep him occupied and loves to play with him.
Ollie is a younger dog. He is pretty mellow, but is still active. He needs a family that will play with him, love him and keep him busy. He also needs a family that isn't afraid to set boundaries and enforce them. Ollie would probably love it if he had a fur sister or brother to keep him company.
So, if you are interested in our boy Ollie, let placement
ragom [dot] org know. Because, the longer he is here, the more likely Sally (our Dane) will adopt him herself!!
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Original Initial Bio:
Hi Everyone,
I'm Ollie! I was found as a stray in South Dakota and taken to a shelter down there. Rona got me out of that shelter and she and Tim got me to my foster family. Thanks guys!!!! I got to ride up from SD with Tanner 08-260. He is a cool guy. We got along great.
I don't mean to brag or anything...but I am a big, beautiful boy. I am between 3 and 4 years old and I weigh 88 pounds. I am UTD on all my shots and I just got neutered on Monday. Ouch. The Vet says I am a healthy boy and am ready to find my forever family.
There are two resident dogs here at my foster's house. Sally the Dane and I love to run and play together in the back yard. She is so fun to hang out with. I get along with Chief the St. Bernard too. But, he doesn’t really play too much. He just likes to sleep A LOT.
There is also a cat here. I have sniffed him a few times, but I don't bug him or anything. My foster mom and dad also have two human kids. They are 2 and 5. They are used to being around dogs, so they don't pull on my tail or anything. They do pet me though. And I sure do love to be petted.
At night I sleep in my foster mom and dad's room on the floor. During the times when no one is home I also hang out in their room with my kong full of peanut butter. I don't have any problems when they leave, but I know they are never gone too long.
I know a couple commands, but will need a family that will help me work on it. I know "sit", but it takes me a little longer with lay "down". I don’t like the command "stay". I don’t want to stay. I want to be wherever my foster family is.
I don't jump on people and I don’t chew on the human kid's toys. I have been busted counter surfing, but only once. I pull a bit on the leash during walks, but that can be corrected. I think I will do best in a home with a fenced yard. I do try to sneak out the front door when people are coming or going. My foster mom is worried that I may be a runner if given the opportunity.
I am an affectionate, playful boy. I am looking for a fun family who will give me lots of love and help me learn some things too. My foster mom is hoping that I will get adopted fast. Because, if I don't, she may just want to keep me all to herself. Yeah, I could tell the day they picked me up, that she was falling for me. I bet you will fall in love with me too, as soon as you meet me.
