True Love - P52 Week Seven

True Love between a girl and her dog...

Meet Mallory and Riley. This picture was taken almost 10 years ago, when Mallory was 8 years old and Riley was 3 months old.

Mallory really wanted her own dog. After some convincing I agreed that it would be a good idea. Pet ownership teaches responsibility,  develops nurturing skills, and promotes outside exercise. She set up his kennel in her room so he could sleep near her at night, she fed him and helped potty train him. They were constant companions. She could tell him anything and he would always listen and never judge.

He has always been there for her, taking walks in the woods together, running on the beach together, a constant companion. When Mallory got her first car a few months before she turned 16, Riley would climb in the car with her while she practiced going back and forth in the driveway.

When she turned 16 and had that driver's license in hand, with Riley sitting in the shot gun position they set off on their first unsupervised driving adventure together.

Fast forward to February 2012, Mallory a beautiful young woman is now off at college, and her faithful companion Riley is now stuck with only me during the day. He still leads an active life, we head out for walks almost everyday, we go in the car sometimes for bigger hikes, and instead of sharing the bed with Mallory and his little brother Scout, he only has to share it with Scout. But the big excitement of Mallory coming home each day after school is gone, and he has to wait for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring breaks instead.

Even though apart more than together, they still love each other so very much and look forward to their next reunion. Thankfully Spring Break is only 2-1/2 weeks away.