Best Friends
Best Friends is a weekly feature highlighting local residents and their pets. To suggest someone for the series, contact Shari Rampenthal, assistant editor, at srampenthal@themonroetimes.com.
Ryan Ziltner, a real estate agent at Century 21 and a Monroe native, got the pick of the litter and ended up with his best friend Willow, a 3-year-old golden retriever.
Ziltner had decided he wanted a companion, and spurred by memories of growing up with a golden retriever, picked a breeder in Mineral Point. Ziltner had the first pick of the litter and narrowed it down to two puppies. He selected one, but on the drive home something was telling him he was meant to have the other dog, so he went back and got Willow.
- Marissa Weiher
Describe your Willow's personality.
Willow would like to think she's a human. She's obsessed with belly rubs. She's extremely happy-go-lucky. She loves everyone and anyone and is very social with both people and animals. She was a great puppy. When I brought her home I lived in an apartment on the Square, and she became very popular. People would come out of stores to see her. She became social very fast. Something she doesn't like is I travel a lot, so whenever I get my suitcase out, she gets really depressed.
What do you like to do together?
Willow likes to cuddle. In the summer, she loves to go boating and likes playing in the lake, and of course she loves playing fetch and playing in the backyard. She comes to the office with me sometimes, which is usually two or three days a week. She also enjoys getting to play with her friends at Charlie's Bark Park. Oh, and she really likes visiting her grandma.
What has been the best part of having Willow in your life?
The companionship. It's just a comforting and constant companion and lots of laughs. She accompanies me to dinner parties and pool parties and gets to do a lot of stuff. She also comes with me to visit college friends in Milwaukee. It's probably my fault she thinks she's a person.
Ziltner had decided he wanted a companion, and spurred by memories of growing up with a golden retriever, picked a breeder in Mineral Point. Ziltner had the first pick of the litter and narrowed it down to two puppies. He selected one, but on the drive home something was telling him he was meant to have the other dog, so he went back and got Willow.
- Marissa Weiher
Describe your Willow's personality.
Willow would like to think she's a human. She's obsessed with belly rubs. She's extremely happy-go-lucky. She loves everyone and anyone and is very social with both people and animals. She was a great puppy. When I brought her home I lived in an apartment on the Square, and she became very popular. People would come out of stores to see her. She became social very fast. Something she doesn't like is I travel a lot, so whenever I get my suitcase out, she gets really depressed.
What do you like to do together?
Willow likes to cuddle. In the summer, she loves to go boating and likes playing in the lake, and of course she loves playing fetch and playing in the backyard. She comes to the office with me sometimes, which is usually two or three days a week. She also enjoys getting to play with her friends at Charlie's Bark Park. Oh, and she really likes visiting her grandma.
What has been the best part of having Willow in your life?
The companionship. It's just a comforting and constant companion and lots of laughs. She accompanies me to dinner parties and pool parties and gets to do a lot of stuff. She also comes with me to visit college friends in Milwaukee. It's probably my fault she thinks she's a person.