Courtesy of Ree Drummond/Instagram
Ree Drummond Mourns the Loss of ‘Loving’ and ‘Loyal’ Family Dog Walter in Emotional Tribute
A heartbreaking loss. Ree Drummond and her family announced the death of their beloved dog Walter on Wednesday, July 12.
“Goodbye, sweet, wonderful Walter. I’m going to bed early so I can turn off these tears and instead dream sweet memories of you, the most loving, loyal, pure-hearted doggie our family has ever known,” Ree, 54, captioned a carousel of photos of her late pet on Instagram. “Go find your brother Charlie and have some fun, ol’ boy.”
The comments section was full of love for Ree, who shares kids Alex, Paige, Bryce, Todd and foster son Jamar with husband Ladd Drummond.
“Sending you all the love, my friend,” Trisha Yearwood penned. “Love walks on four paws.”
Alex, 26, was quick to share her own memories with Walter in a sweet comment.
“These pics melt my heart,” she wrote. “Most loving dog to ever exist.”
Paige, 23, also posted an emotional tribute to Walter in her Instagram Stories, accompanied by several photos of the basset hound. In some of the pictures, she was seen sitting with Walter on the porch and hugging him.
“There will never be another dog like you,” she wrote. “Happy trails, Walter.”
Ree has always viewed her dogs like they are family members. She and her husband own several other canines who love roaming the grounds of their Oklahoma ranch property. The celebrity chef has long been an animal lover.
“I have a porch full of dogs, from big athletic labs to floppy, lazy basset hounds,” she told People in April 2021. “I had a basset hound when I was a very young child, so I have a long history with them. I also get to enjoy our cowboy Josh’s dogs; he has a couple of good rescue dogs who sometimes wander down to my porch to hang with my canine crew.”
After moving into a smaller home on the estate in December 2021, Ree shared that the dogs all loved lounging outside on the porch together.
“They set up shop on the front porch. They each have their own little bed on the front porch,” she told People in May 2022. “They’re outdoor dogs mostly anyway, and they have a whole barn to themselves if they want to go sleep in the barn sometimes, but they hardly ever leave the porch if we’re home. It’s really funny.”
