Riley's Hope

As the pandemic struck and my family and I spent our spare time at home, we started to notice the emptiness. It had been years since we had last had a dog occupy our family, and at the time the decision had been made to not welcome a new one.

However, as my mom scrolled social media one day, her excitement was visible. She showed us the heartbreaking story of Riley, and her current hope of joining a new family through a nearby animal rescue.

The photos included in the post shattered my heart. Riley was the most beautiful dog with loving eyes. Her exact age and breed was unknown at the time, but she had lived at least a couple of years in horrible conditions.

The photos showed Riley's hesitance around her saviors at first, but her sparkle began to shine through. After those numerous happy photos came the photos of her prior reality.

She had been living in deplorable conditions, locked in a hotel room for the entirety of her young life, along with other pets who were rescued along with her. The windows were covered in dirty white sheets to avoid allowing even a shred of sunlight into the room, and all Riley had was an old stained mattress to sleep on.

The room was destroyed from Riley's desperation to find something to occupy her time, as she was left alone at all times, minus the occasional food and water. The other animals in the building were locked in other rooms, so they lacked interaction with each other, and I couldn't stomach the thought of the loneliness they all must have felt.

But, she had been rescued by an amazing organization who showed her a new hope, and helped her to trust again as she sought a permanent family.

My family had been torn on adopting a new dog for years, but it was agreed that it would be Riley or nothing. Something about her personality shone straight through the screen of our phones and into our hearts, and we fell in love with her immediately.

My mother scrambled to finish all the paperwork as quickly as she could, taking numerous photos of our backyard and home to demonstrate the amount of space, love and hope Riley could achieve with us.

Riley unsurprisingly also touched the hearts of many others, and the adoption applications continued to roll in. The owners of the rescue themselves considered keeping Riley, as she was such a wonderful soul who deserved nothing but the best.

My mother continued to update my family on the progress on our application, informing us of all of her recent conversations with the lovely people running the rescue, and their thoughts on us as potential adopters. My mother is a strong and determined person, but I had never seen her with a determination quite like this.

As we tried and failed to avoid getting our hopes up, the news finally came that we would be able to visit with Riley and see if it would be a good fit, not just for us but for Riley as well. We were all ecstatic.

When the day arrived, my father was unfortunately at work. As my mother and I packed up to start the long drive to the rescue, I received a text from him. A simple request to bring Riley home with us. We promised we would do everything we could to make that dream a reality.

The excitement was building along our journey to our visit, and we could barely contain ourselves as we finally arrived at our destination. We both proceeded to kneel down on our knees to avoid frightening Riley as herself and the rescue's owner approached.

Riley appeared apprehensive at first. She had lived her life in fear up to this point, and it was no surprise or offense to us that she was uncomfortable. She built up the courage to investigate us, and in no time at all, her discomfort seemed to subside. She began to roll in the dirt and receieved plenty of belly rubs from us, and we knew she was the perfect pet for our family, and hoped that this wonderful dog believed the same.

Our visit continued with nervousness and anticipation growing, waiting to hear what the rescue thought of our day together. When the time came, they agreed that we were the ones who would be blessed with the opportunity to give Riley a new, hopeful life.

It was the brightest moment for us all throughout the uncertainty of the pandemic, and as Riley eagerly leapt into the car, our hearts were overflowing.

I wish my father had been there to watch her quickly leap from the back of our Nissan Rogue into the backseat with me. She laid her head on my lap for the entirety of the drive to her new home, and I promised her she would never suffer again. She would be safe with us for the rest of her days.

Almost two years have passed since Riley joined our family. She's always ecstatic for her walks, and has slowly become accustomed to meeting other people and dogs along the way. She's become very protective of myself and my family, and spends all of her time around us.

Her personality is glowing, and I joke about her personal space issues as the pandemic continues to roll on. She does not simply want to be close to you, she will approach you and press her nose into your face as you give her the love and attention she has always longed for. Despite being approximately one hundred pounds, her insistence on being a lap dog is fully accepted by us.

Our hearts and our home are full, and I am grateful every day that Riley has escaped her past and found safety and serenity with a family that will love and cherish her forever. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her immediately, and I don't blame them. I have never met a dog quite like her.

Her resilience through tough times has reflected on me, and I believe Riley and myself make a wonderful pair. These days, I can't imagine my life without her, and I know my family feels the same.

Riley's story is one of hope, and she spreads her light to everyone around us.

Be like Riley - have hope, offer love, and never let go.