Riley's Story

Lisa, standing out her back door, could hear someone calling, “Riley come!” Again, with more volume, “Riley, COME!” she yelled. It was quite a picture. Up a steep slope and on an equestrian trail, a woman on horseback was screaming at a sweet looking Golden mix who it seemed was named Riley. Riley clearly had no intention of responding. A man walking by could see the dog wandering further and further away but his attempts to encourage the dog to return to her owner only made Riley more determined to continue on her way. Then to everyone’s complete amazement, the woman on the horse galloped off abandoning the dog.

Lisa approached cautiously and with a great deal of patience. She sat on the curb and through soft-spoken words and treats she coaxed Riley to come to her. Neither Riley nor Lisa knew then what a defining moment that was but from that moment on Riley’s life began to take a turn for the better. Deep wounds on her muzzle and around her neck, along with her reluctance to enter Lisa’s house, were just two clues, like pieces of a puzzle, eventually bringing Riley’s story into focus. As more pieces of this puzzle became known, it was obvious Riley had been abused. This one year old had lived through a pretty horrible first year of life. Considering all she had been through, it was no wonder she found it difficult to trust humans.

Lisa did not want to surrender Riley to the shelter but she felt it was the best chance for Riley to get help she desperately needed. Lisa also worried about her two Husky dogs since Riley was giving off vibes that she might not like some dogs.

A few weeks of veterinary care and treatment began the healing process for Riley’s wounds. Fabric from a halty-type collar was deeply embedded in her muzzle and extricated by the doctor. She had more deep wounds around her neck that were caused by the same problem of a tightly fitted collar. A shy dog, Riley liked women best but seemed to be grateful for all the attention and soon became closely bonded to a couple of women. Lisa continued to visit Riley at the shelter and volunteer Candy, known for her magic touch with shy animals, became Riley’s best friends. So relaxed and affectionate with these two women, it never occurred to any of us that Riley would have a condition called separation anxiety. Adopted by not one but two lovely woman at different times, Riley proved to be too much for each of them as her unfamiliarity with being inside a home along with periods of anxiety led to destruction of furniture, curtains, sheets, carpeting and landscaping. For Riley to become healed inside, we were going to need a trainer who could help us teach Riley that short periods in a crate, could be comforting and that being alone for short periods would not mean that she was being abandoned.

Paul Yevilov with K9 City met Riley and began gaining her trust and encouraging her to work through her fears. Part of this training process included introducing Riley to other young dogs. To our complete delight it was heart-warming to see the transformation. Riley not only had some trusted two-legged gal pals, she had a host of young playful K9 friends to chase and roll around with. For the first time in Riley’s young life, she was having fun!

Riley is continuing her work with Paul, and continuing her playtime and daily walks and training with Lisa and Candy. While her progress is miraculous we know that Riley will need an experienced handler and a person committed to ongoing training so that she continues to grow in confidence.

Thank you for your generous donations. Riley healthy body and happy heart is the result of your devotion to our animals. If you met Riley today, she would gladly give you kisses or snuggle up and put her head in your lap. What a feeling to be able to give such a deserving dog an entirely new life. You did that. Riley, Lisa, Candy and all the staff and volunteers at the shelter thank you.