Elise Rathke

I couldn’t believe it when I overheard a conversation between two women…they were talking about the untimely and sudden death of their beloved veterinarian Dr. Randy Walker. Dr. Walker? He’s my vet too. I asked them to tell me the story. Shocked and saddened by what I heard, I was not able to get him out of my mind for weeks. One morning I woke up from a dream. I remembered bits and pieces and had enough clarity to write down what I saw in my dream. I was standing in the parking lot of Dr. Walker’s clinic with lots of people. We were happy, laughing and celebrating something. There were balloons and dogs and it was very festive. I realized that we had just completed a walk in his honor and we had raised a lot of money to benefit two local animal rescue groups. I knew then the reason I couldn’t stop thinking about Dr. Walker was because I was the one who organized the charity walk in my dream! This has become my passion and purpose, and my opportunity to give back to the community where he had his clinic for over 25 years. His sudden passing has affected many, and has left a deep void in our hearts.

My goal is to raise at least $12,000 to split between two local animal rescue groups: Rover’s Rest Stop (dogs) www.roversreststop.com and Muchos Gatos (cats) www.facebook.com/mgatos1.

The walk will be on Sunday morning, October 15 in Sun Lakes. Details to follow—save the date!

All donations will be used to preserve Dr. Walker’s memory and honor his legacy towards the well-being of animals in the community. For questions or more information, please contact Elise Rathke at 480-980-3381 or email [email protected].