By Linda Chuss

For seven years, Milford resident Dick Valorie has faithfully walked the Upper Charles Trail near Louisa Lake each morning, providing treats to dozens of friends he encounters – the four-legged furry kind, that is. While walking there one day in September, he provided the backstory.

Nearly all the pets recognized Valorie and expectantly approached him; he knew them too, greeting each dog by name as he handed out their preferred treat, jerky or kibble. He thumbed through some of the pictures on his phone of the hundreds of dogs he has befriended.

It is heartwarming for the people walking their dogs, and through the ritual, Valorie has become friends with many of them too. 

“I know more people now, from walking and meeting dogs, than I did from all my years in Milford before that,” Valorie said. “And I probably know more dogs than people…It started as an accident. I had treats for my dog, Greta, and she wasn’t with me, so I gave them to a dog I saw. It took off from there.”

“Dick’s the best,” said a group of women walking by on the trail. The foursome had only one dog with them, Lucy, but they clearly all knew Valorie. One woman in the group, Donna, was a schoolmateof Valorie’s, and they reminisced about ice skating on the lake. 

“There’s no plan,” Valorie explained. “I don’t know who I’ll meet.” 

One regular, Parker, a big, golden Labrador mix, spotted Valorie and came directly in for his treat and a pat. Valorie then said he would turn back, after having walked nearly a mile. Parker’s human companion, Joe, said they needed to head off to a playdate with another dog. “It’s like my job,” he explained.

Valorie has been walking his whole life, covering the same route before it was paved, going eight miles to Holliston and back. He wasn’t always a dog parent, having had three in his life, the most recent being Chanelle. “A few years ago, a friend gave her to me to help fill the void after Jeanne, my wife of 54 years, passed away,” Valorie said. “Then this past spring, Chanelle passed.”

“Dogs are buddies, companions,” Valorie said. “They bring a whole new dimension to life.” He plans to have another dog, a lap dog, and added, “Not only that, after I die, I’ll come back as a dog.”