Riley loves day care so much, he walked over a mile by himself to get there.
Last Friday, Tonia Mosteller was walking her 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Riley, in Belmont, NC, when the pair ran into a group of dogs from Riley’s day care during their morning walk.
“Riley was crying because he loves to play, he loves happy dogs,” Mosteller told CNN, adding that the pup cried the whole way home.
Hours later, Mosteller returned from her daily run to find Riley missing from the backyard.
Turns out, the independent canine had lifted the latch on the gate and walked over a mile on his own to the Happy Dog Cafe, where he patiently sat outside the front door and waited to be let in.
“We noticed a dog sitting outside waiting to be let in,” Happy Dog Cafe owner Teresa McCarter said. She remembers exclaiming, “Oh my gosh, it’s Riley!”
“We walk Riley every day, typically through town, and sometimes we will stop by the day care,” Mosteller explained. “Riley knows his way around town.”
After Riley arrived at the door, McCarter called Mosteller to inform them of her surprise guest.
“Of course,” McCarter adds, “he stayed for free.”