Skip to Content

Walter Dog: The truth behind the canine meme

Walter Dog: The truth behind the canine meme

Have you heard of Walter Dog, the canine front camera meme? If not, you’re about to! Because this doge dog took the internet by storm while he was still just a puppy. 

We live in a time where social media is everything. And what can you find on social media, except influencers, of course? Well, you can also find some other related categories like amusing memes! And this meme dog is definitely one worth a lot of attention. Which he did get, at least according to Google Trends analysis. 

ALSO READ Do dogs feel love or are we just projecting?

Let’s first explain what a meme even is. According to Google, a meme is an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations. One such meme that spread like wildfire was Walter the Dog! But back then it wasn’t known facts that that wasn’t even Walter’s real name…

Walter Dog – The Meme

You might not know who Walter is just based on the name of the meme (in all honesty, I didn’t), but one look at his picture will refresh your memory.

Back in 2018, an image of a dog was shared on Twitter. It was a picture of a funny-looking dog. Because the picture was taken at an angle it made the pooch look like he has a giant nose and no ears. 

ALSO READ Dog Tooth Infection And Abscess

The people of Twitter (and later the whole world) fell in love with the picture and started using it and sharing it like crazy. They started making hilarious memes with the dog’s picture, who then became known as Walter the Dog.

Walter’s fame

But how did this pooch become so famous? I mean, there are so many pictures of pets that are being shared daily, and none become famous?

Well, Walter probably got lucky. The picture was actually posted to the Twitter account @PupperNelson, which is the dog’s actual name! It was shared with the caption “when you open the front-facing camera on accident.”

ALSO READ Dog Training Near Me: How To Find The Right One

Very soon after the tweet amassed over 11,000 retweets and 58,000 likes, but the photo has been shared so many more times than that.

Real identity – What is the name of the dog in the meme?

One of the most common questions about this doge dog is what is the pup’s name. As mentioned above, the name Walter isn’t the dog’s real name! That’s just the name people on the Internet gave this pup. In reality, the real name of Walter is actually Nelson.

Let me tell you a bit more about Nelson the Bull Terrier. Basically, Nelson is a bull terrier who weighs about forty-five pounds. Born in July 2017, he’s still pretty young and was just a puppy when his viral photo was posted and received great recognition.

ALSO READ Bull Terrier: The unusual looking, but amazing dog

According to Nelson’s actual owner, Victoria Leigh, the pooch is a very outgoing dog who wants to be best friends with anyone he sees on the street. He is the type of dog to greet you with an enthusiastic jump the first time he even sees you. He’s a real-life Scooby Doo!

Conclusion – Rumors about his death

Nelson is a famous dog, nowadays almost as famous as Scooby Doo, and we all know that with fame also comes a lot of rumors. Unfortunately, one very scary rumor got spread around about Walter aka Nelson, not long after attention of Walter became to rise. It seemed as if many Instagram users believed that this dog died.

Two years ago, precisely in June 2020, rumors were going around that Nelson passed away! This happened because photos were posted online of a bull terrier dog from Philadelphia with gunshot wounds. There were many condolence posts from twitter users, different Instagram posts, and more claiming that this dog died. The pictures of gunshot wounds were blurred, and a clear post of the terrier’s face was impossible to find. According to Google Trends analysis people were massively searching about their beloved Pana Walter the dog. 

ALSO READ Teacup dogs – Big health issues of small canines

Many people it was the dog from the famous meme, and one article posted online even claimed it was Nelson the Bull Terrier, adding a close up of terrier’s face! However, those were luckily all fake news. No need to worry, because Walter the Dog or Nelson or whatever you want to call him is still alive and well. That was even confirmed by Walter’s owner. You can even follow this internet celebrity on his Puppernelson Instagram page.

My name is Jackie and I am a veterinarian with a degree in veterinary medicine. With extensive experience in treating various animals, I am known for my compassionate and personalized approach to animal care.