Tails of Broadway: WICKED's Riley Costello Plays Around with Ryder!

After a long week of treading the boards, what better way for performers to unwind than with the affection of a furry friend? In BroadwayWorld's Tails of Broadway, photographer Jessica Fallon Gordon is capturing priceless moments between Broadway's brightest stars and their pets.

In this edition, meet Riley Costello's adorable pup, Ryder!

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Pet's name: Ryder

Origin of name: He came with the name! Apparently it used to be "Ghost Ryder" but somewhere along the line before I got him, they dropped the Ghost.

Breed: Pit Mix

How long have you owned: Almost Three years!

Adoption story: Ryder has a very special adoption story. I used to volunteer in the Virgin Islands every year on St. John. It was a wonderful program that involved teaching all the fourth graders on the island about the arts and raising money for their School Of The Arts there. I became close with some of the folks on the island and visited the animal shelter there. Ryder was a long term resident of the Animal Care Center, and had been severely abused and was found chained to a tree with a collar that was padlocked. He was a growing pup and the padlock was choking him. He apparently had heart worm and shrapnel in his back, and was scared of everything. Thinking about this still makes my blood boil. Once the people at the shelter got him, he was fostered by two separate families that gave him back after a week. They couldn't handle his special needs. Finally I met him and the rest is history. He flew back to LA with me from St. John and started his new life as a member of my family. He is still sometimes nervous, but has grown so much in the time I've had him. He loves other animals and most especially his Dads.

Favorite thing to do with your pet: Back in LA, we love taking Ryder on BIG hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains, he is quite the adventurer and can do "Doggy Parkour" jumping all over the rocks and splashing in the rivers and waterfalls. He loves to go off leash outdoors in nature and is always a good boy when one of us asks him to sit and stay. Living in the city has been an adjustment for him so we try to take him to Riverside Park as much as we can so he can still get his nature fix.

The naughtiest thing your pet has done: There was once an incident with two feather pillows being demolished out in the backyard in LA....it took about three months to clean all the feathers off the lawn.

What would your pet's catch-phrase be: "My favorite color is SAFETY" but also he has a hashtag, #RyderTheIslandDog and maybe an account coming soon....who knows?

Fun Facts:

He's a pescatarian, just like me. Haha he has a skin condition that flares up if he eats any other meat.

He's just getting into squeaky toys.

His middle name is TOTORO, like the Studio Ghibli film.

He loves to chase squirrels.

He thinks he's a lap dog.

Ryder

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello

Ryder and Riley Costello