08/28/2026
Meet Riley 🐾
She's my neighbor here in Pleasanton, and she has more visitors than most people I know.
Cyclists stop mid-ride to say hi. The Saturday morning running club swings by. Kids know her name before they know half the adults on the block. Adults bring her treats. She just plants herself in the front yard and waits, and somehow everyone who stops for a minute ends up staying for ten.
Riley was recently diagnosed with nasal cancer. Her owners are heartbroken. But here's the part that gets me: the visitors haven't stopped. If anything, there are more of them. People who have never even met her owners are still showing up on that lawn every single day, just to check on her. And her owners greet each visitor warmly. It is touching to see this type of humanity unfold daily.
This is the part of Pleasanton you won't find in a market report. A dog on a lawn, and a neighborhood that decided, without anyone organizing it, that she was worth showing up for.
If you've ever stopped to say hello to Riley, tell me in the comments. And if you know a dog, a neighbor, or a small local tradition that deserves some attention, send it my way. 💛
❤️whereyoulive