“[I]t captures everything he represents to me: comfort, loyalty and home.”
A few years ago, Renee Weller fell instantly in love with a Great Dane puppy she saw in a picture. She’d been searching for her soul dog for a while, and as soon as she saw this little guy’s photo, she knew she’d found the one.
“[T]he moment I saw a photo of Walter as a pup, I just knew he was mine,” Weller told The Dodo. “What I didn’t know at the time was just how important he would become in my life.”
Weller and Walter formed an immediate bond and soon went everywhere together. The two were nearly inseparable until, sadly, Weller went through a long-term breakup and had to move to a new home that didn’t allow big dogs.
Weller and her ex agreed to share custody of Walter in the year following their breakup, with the pup staying full-time in his original home and Weller visiting as much as possible. But the separation was painstaking for the two best friends.
“I’d pick him up from my ex’s place and take him out for the day, then drop him back [off] at night,” Weller said. “Every visit, he’d be waiting for me at the window, and when I left, he’d be there again, watching me go. It always broke my heart.”
The breakup was difficult for everyone involved, but something about seeing Walter at the window made Weller even more emotional. On one hand, she hated living apart from her soul dog. But his unwavering loyalty and love for her felt fulfilling in a time of need.
After 12 months of regular visits, Weller finally found a dog-friendly home, where she and Walter could live together. They moved into their new place and quickly formed a new routine, but one of Walter’s habits remained.
“Coincidentally, this house also had large glass windows at the front. The difference was that now, when I left, Walter knew I was coming back,” Weller said. “And sure enough, I’d drive up and see him there at the window — like he somehow sensed I was close before I even turned onto the street.”
Just like in his previous home, Walter had grown accustomed to watching his mom leave and return. But the image of Walter in the window as she pulled away was less heartbreaking for Weller this time around. Instead, she felt overwhelmed with joy that her soul dog loved her just as much as she did him.
That’s when she got the idea to memorialize the precious moment forever.
“That image, him waiting there with so much love and loyalty, inspired a tattoo,” Weller said. “It captures a real moment, but more importantly, it captures everything he represents to me: comfort, loyalty and home.”
Weller soon booked an appointment with local tattoo artist Sam Smith and brought the image of Walter in the window. When the tattoo was finished, Weller nearly broke down seeing the representation of Walter’s unwavering love on her arm.
“It was emotional in the best way,” Weller said. “It felt like that chapter of our journey had been honored and made permanent. It wasn’t just a tattoo of a dog; it was a tribute to everything Walter had been for me.”
You can see the tattoo here: