He's home! Walter the missing dog finally found 1 year later

ARNOLD, Mo. — It's one of those miracle stories with a happy ending almost too good to be true. After spending almost a year in the woods behind an industrial park in Arnold, Walter the dog was captured on Nov. 13.

In order to understand how incredible this is, we have to take you back to Thanksgiving 2019.

Kate Olson, of New Hampshire, was in Arnold visiting family when Walter slipped out of his collar. Walter is an anxious golden retriever and took off. Olson stayed in St. Louis for weeks printing fliers and retracing his steps hoping to find him.


In the months that passed, Olson got a few calls of sightings and held out hope. She flew back to St. Louis in January to continue her search.

“I just want to know if he’s okay. I want him to know that I’m not giving up on him. I’ll never give up on him,” she told Today in St. Louis' Allie Corey at the time.

Olson created a "Where's Walter?" Facebook page and had animal rescue groups searching for him. She estimates she spent close to $1,000 between the fliers and trips back and forth from New Hampshire to St. Louis.