Riley

It’s hard to believe, but I actually have friends outside of Dog People. Melissa is one…although it was through swimming… Anyway, recognizing kindred spirits, initially she invited Rick and me to an Underground party. It feels sorta like a kid’s treehouse club. Fun! Melissa, Bryce and Paul went to high school together in Houston and somehow migrated to the Denver area. Not as a group, but individually. Melissa and her husband Kevin live about 10 minutes from our house. It’s great to have spur-of-the- moment friends. Not only is it rare to find good friends as couples, but even more rare that we’ve all done things in assorted pairs or trios. Kevin took me to his yoga class. Rick, Melissa and I recently went to the contemporary art museum in Denver. Kevin, Rick and Melissa saw the Amish quilt exhibit together. The list goes on and on because we see them nearly every weekend. Usually for cocktails and a game of dice or dominos.

But wouldn’t ya know. Melissa currently has two dogs. There were three until last year when Maggie was euthanized. Dogs. There’s that common thread again! Maggie was a Golden Retriever. As is Shiloh. Riley is a Papillion. He recently made the local paper. Here’s what Melissa sent:

Our neighbor, Chris Coyle, is a very talented artist. Sometimes, when Riley is feeling especially fractious, he escapes to Chris’s, where he plays happily with their two dogs. Chris decided to capture Riley on canvas, and here is the result. Enjoy his fabulousness, he does.