My Dog, Riley

When Rudy died, I was an absolute wreck. The tragic, unexpected loss of my baby was almost too much to bear. During that time, I'd replay his little life over and over again in my head… sobbing uncontrollably. I was paralyzed by my pain, by the realization that I came home to find my little boy... dead, at 3 years old. I never even got to say goodbye...

Two days after his death, I logged onto facebook. At the top of my homepage was a dog that looked so much like my Rudy… and I lost it. My heart immediately fell in love with this precious boy, but my head said, “No, Ashley. Absolutely not. It’s too soon.” The dog was later adopted by another family, but even still, I thought about him every day… somehow knowing he was mine, even though he belonged to someone else. I often kicked myself for not immediately saying, “I want him!”
But I just tried to move on…

A couple of months later, fate stepped in. A ridiculous breed ban in his county placed this dog back up for adoption. I could hardly believe it. I contacted my dear friend (his foster mom) and finally said what I’d been waiting to say for months: “I want him.” She said, “Ash, I’ve always wanted you to have him; I was just waiting for you to be ready. He’s your’s. He's always been your’s.”

And so, I adopted Riley... also known as my heart. Riley has brought more joy into my life than I thought possible after Rudy's death. He's simply incredible… he loves everyone and everything… all dogs, all people, and all activities. But most of all, he loves me. He’s just awesome, in every single way. And there's no doubt in my mind --or anyone else's-- that's he's exactly where he was always meant to be.

But Riley’s life began much differently… his early months were a living nightmare… and he honestly shouldn’t be alive today…

Riley’s Story

My Riley was rescued from a dogfighting ring. At 5 months old, some evil dogfighters placed Riley in the ring, and tried to fight him.

But my Riley, the little angel that he is, is not a fighter. He was utterly terrified… and he refused to fight. Instead, he’d just lie there, curled up in the fetal position, as the other dogs attacked him.

While it sickens and pains me beyond words to envision my scared little baby being viciously attacked by others --others who were simply following the rules-- that’s not the most heartbreaking part of this story.

As noble and precious as it is when a dog refuses to harm others in the ring, the consequences are unimaginable…

If you don’t know much about dogfighting, one of two things happens to the dogs like Riley who refuse to fight:

1)     They are used as bait dogs… meaning the “bait” used to train other dogs to fight. Their teeth are filed or pulled out, their mouths are duct taped shut, and their nails are filed down, until there’s nothing left. Then --with no defense mechanisms-- they’re thrown in the ring—often restrained to further impair them—as other dogs are trained to viciously attack…and kill… them.

Bait dog saved byTri-County Animal Rescue

Bait dogs can only hope for death in the ring… because the ones who survive each attack are forced to endure the same baiting torture, day after day, for as long as they live. Following each brutal fight, they are given no vet care for their wounds, and no medication for the severe pain. Often, their faces are torn off; their ears are hanging from their heads; their eyes are swollen shut; their limbs are falling off. They're rarely fed—if ever, they're given zero attention, and they're confined to a tiny, feces-filled cage, or a short chain with no shelter. Bait dogs live the saddest existence I can imagine.

Dogs like Riley aren't the only ones used as bait. Dogfighters scan “FREE TO A GOOD HOME” ads, animal shelters, and Craigslist for bait dogs. They also steal them from your backyard. Training usually begins with small dogs, puppies, cats, or rabbits. Then, as the training progresses, the bait moves up in size.

If you think you could easily identify a dogfighter asking for your “free” dog, THINK AGAIN. Many police officers, athletes, and wealthy individuals are involved in dogfighting. This is a MONEY sport… these people don’t always appear to be the scum they are, and they’ve certainly learned how to play the “I’m a good home” card to get your free dog for bait. 

The life of a bait dog was Riley’s first option.

2)     If option 1 isn’t selected, dogfighters go with option 2: Shoot the dog on-site.

Well, that’s what happens to the lucky ones at least. Some are used for sadistic pleasure before they are killed… subjected to unspeakable torture and abuse. The dogs are body slammed, beaten to death, hung, electrocuted, set on fire, and/or drowned… as the dogfighters laugh at their suffering.

Death was Riley’s second option.

I think about my Riley… my precious little angel… at 5 months old, left with those 2 options: Unimaginable torture every day of his life, or being shot to death. For Riley, they chose Option 2: shoot him.

Before attempting to kill him, they first tortured Riley by shooting him repeatedly with a BB gun, as he cried out in agony. My vet would later find the BBs lodged throughout his body. I can only imagine his terror and pain, as he was shot over and over again. He probably wished for death… which was just the plan they had for him…

But my Riley is one of the luckiest pups alive. On this particular day—the day meant to be Riley’s last—an undercover informant was present at the dogfight. And while the other dogfighters were distracted, the informant risked his own life to save Riley’s. He snuck Riley out the side door and got him to safety…

Photo by Wayne Rawson Photography

I will forever be indebted to the courageous hero who saved my baby’s life. Riley was set to die that day, but instead… my Riley lives.

And he lives... with me.

I was broken, and Riley saved me… in every way that a person can be saved. To put it quite simply: I was dead, and Riley brought me back to life…

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