A Dog Named “Walter.”

It was early January 2021. On our ride back to Marco Island from her routine checkup at Moffitt in Tampa, my wife Janice was on her phone checking messages, looking through Facebook, and updating herself with the latest news when she stopped suddenly and asked me to look at a photo of a dog. It was a photo of a big dog’s head with a small body looking up at the camera with beautiful golden eyes. She said “this is Walter. He is 10 years old and presently housed at the Collier County Domestic Animal Services in Naples since December 10. He was a stray, the story indicated and was not being “picked up.”

We had one more appointment before we headed home at the Naples Cancer Center for Janice’s monthly immunotherapy. I dropped Janice off in front of the building and parked my car along the adjacent street for my hour wait. Sitting there listening to music from the sixties as usual, I kept thinking of Walter. We had just lost our dear boxer Lexi in October to an unknown but serious health issue, and we had promised ourselves we would never get another dog!

We must learn to never say never again!

Walter’s image did not leave me for the entire hour. Janice must have been thinking of him as well while getting an infusion. As soon as she came in the car, I said “Let’s go get Walter!” She initially but half-heartedly said, “are you sure?” I was and obviously so was she. We drove to the shelter immediately. We went in and walked up to the front desk. “We would like to see Walter” Janice told the receptionist who looked a bit surprised. “Walter?” she asked indicating her surprise. “Yes” we said in unison.

Few minutes later, we were in front of Walter’s six by six cage. He was pacing around, crying and moaning. The caretaker took him out on a leash and directed us towards an outside fenced in area where we were to meet and greet! Initially, Walter wanted nothing to do with us. He kept going to the fences, looking out and kept on pacing. Finally, after about thirty minutes or so, he came by and looked up to us.

He was skinny, with big paws and a big head. It was love at first sight for us. We said we would take him. The caretaker was so happy. I guess she thought no one would pick up a big 10-year-old stray! Well, I am 72 years old, and ten dog years would be 70. Walter was only two years younger than me, and I would certainly be upset if no one picked me up from a shelter if I were in his paws!

We filed the necessary paperwork and walked Walter to our car. He promptly jumped into the back seat of our SUV and panted all the way home. Upon arrival, he went through the entire house, sniffing and making himself comfortable with the environment.

According to the shelter documents, Walter was an Anatolian Shepherd and Yellow Lab mix. Being from Turkey myself, I thought Walter and I share a common heritage. Ninety percent of the country of Turkey is in Anatolia. Anatolian Shepherd dogs are known for their extreme loyalty to their owners and their ability to herd sheep up and down the mountains are legendary. They can fight off bears, wolves and foxes which may have bad intentions for the sheep. Walter sure looked ferocious with a deep strong bark and big white teeth which would put fear into the hearts of anyone who is even thinking of harming us.

Walter turned out to be an extremely well-trained dog. He knew all the usual commands, “sit, lay down, paw, no! the other paw.” He sleeps in the bed we bought for him and eats his food twice a day on schedule. Walter is a big water drinker, and he understands that he must do his business in our fenced-in backyard.

After a month with us, I started to take him for morning walks and quickly found out he does not like bike riders and people who walk towards us. He tries to attack the bikers, showing his teeth and growling gutturally. Soon we learned to change our walking hours to non-biking hours and tried to stay on the other side of the road when we saw people walking towards us.

Walter gained weight at the Ayasun household, as all our previous dogs did. He developed a very thick cover of fur which sheds all over the house requiring me to vacuum the floor at least twice daily.

One of his favorite games is what Janice and I call “light.” This is when we shine a flashlight on the floor, and he tries to catch the round light. He can play this game for hours, until either Janice or I flop on the couch in total exhaustion or the battery in the flashlight dies; whichever comes first.

Walter became a member of our household. He is beautiful, loyal, protective, friendly and a great companion.

We love him! And we think he loves us…

And who cares that I must vacuum the floors and carpets twice a day. A small price to pay for a loyal and loving companion who gives us his unconditional love in return for a house where he can live happily hereafter.

Fast forward to June 2026. Walter is now (probably) 15 years old. That would be one hundred and five years in human years if we calculate 1 dog year equals seven human years. Since I am only seventy-seven now, Walter has been my senior for many years. He is slower, his rear legs are giving up slowly, his barking is not menacing, and his face is full of white hair. He had long ago stopped playing light. All he wants to do is to sleep near us. We placed beds for him in every room, and he travels from bed to bed making sure he keeps his eyes on us. He sometimes looks like he may be lost, not knowing what to do next. We let him out several times a day to the side of the house where he pees. I take him for two short walks a day for his big business.

Walter is very much alive today and still gives us all his love, without asking for much in return.