Riley Edward Stansbury, the eight-year-old Bernedoodle, flew from Fort Mason to Waco to meet his family, the Stansburys, in July of 2018. Today, Riley has so many nicknames, Karen Stansbury, his paw mom, doesn’t know how Riley keeps them all in order. He goes by names like Ri-Bo, Little Dude, Bo, and BoBo.

 

Karen describes Riley as a “little lover,” always full of joy, saying he’s never met a stranger. Riley is the master of a tug rope, runs like the wind blows, and can eat treats all day long. His favorite toys and treats are his ball, his rope, and his duck jerky.

 

Karen’s favorite memory of Riley comes from a time when Karen misjudged the car hatch closing, and ran into it so hard she was knocked to the ground. As she knelt there, trying to assess whether or not she was bleeding, Riley started barking at her, as if to say, “Get up, Ma! Ma, get up!” Karen told Riley she was okay while still on the floor. He laid down beside her with his paws in prayer position until she got up, concluding a moment that started off sour and turned out sweet.

 

As an only child, Riley hasn’t been around many dogs, but he loves to go on solo walks along Club Drive. Around town, he loves visiting Gleaux Car Wash, which has the “best dog bones,” Big Shot Coffee for a pup cup, and NobiliTea on Old Jacksonville for the pepperoni bites. There’s a bit of a pattern to Riley’s favorite local dives, but he really just loves being in the car with his people. Even with his love of treats, Riley loves Karen and the Stansburys even more; it’s the type of love that took Riley to the skies all those years ago