[2] He wrote a total of 17 published books, most of which involve as a central plot element the relationship between man and animals.

Early in his writing career, he also published numerous short pulp fiction stories.

Morey lived on property he owned in Wilsonville, Oregon and wrote many of his books there.

[4] In 2012, the Gentle Ben statue was stolen from the park by local teens and dumped in a roadside ditch.

[5][6] The Wilsonville Public Library has also honored Morey by naming its Walt Morey Children's Room after him, displaying a 3-foot-tall bronze statue of him and occasionally displaying other memorabilia, such as his typewriter and editions of his books.