Riley Green is a country singer from Jacksonville, Alabama. He’s had No. 1 hits like “There Was This Girl” from 2019, and this fall he’s a brand new coach on NBC’s “The Voice.”
But a lot of his fans would tell you the real star travels on four short legs.
That’s Carl. He’s a corgi and blue heeler mix, and he rides right along on the tour bus. Riley calls him “a great road dog” who is “perfect for hanging out on the bus.”
When CMT asked Riley to name the things he can’t go on the road without, he put Carl at the very top of the list.
Riley Green naming Carl his No. 1 tour essential
Carl has a following of his own these days. He has his own Instagram page, and he’s shown up in Busch Light and Gildan ads with Riley.
Fans have noticed him, too. Riley says people come to his meet-and-greets now and the first thing they do is look down. “People walk into my meet and greets now and look at my feet, just looking for him,” he said.
Then he adds, “I don’t even know if people come to my shows to see me anymore!”
Riley brought it up again at the ACM Awards in 2025, when Country Now asked him about Carl and he made it clear who the real star is.
Riley Green at the ACM Awards on Carl stealing the show
Then came “The Voice.”
On Riley’s very first night as a coach, he set out dog bowls with each coach’s name on them so Carl could “predict” who’d win the season. “I taught him to predict the winner,” Riley said. Carl picked fellow coach Kelly Clarkson’s bowl. Not Riley’s.
So much for loyalty.
Carl’s fame came up again when Riley sat down with the Whiskey Riff podcast, and it’s fun to hear him talk about his dog like a fellow celebrity.
Riley Green on his dog becoming a star
Now for the big news.
Earlier this year, Riley sat down with ABC Audio to talk about his acting debut on CBS’s “Marshals,” which premiered March 1. Somewhere in that chat, Carl’s personal life came up.
Carl has a girlfriend. She’s a dog too, and her name is Carol Ann.
And the two of them became parents.
“Carl and Carol Ann, that’s his little girlfriend, they had corgi blue heeler puppies,” Riley said, “and it’s all that’s going on at the farm in Alabama right now.”
There were only two pups in the litter. With so few, Riley didn’t sound too eager to find homes for some of them. “We might have to keep ’em,” he said.
And if Riley thought Carl stole the spotlight before, the puppies have taken it the rest of the way. Visitors to the farm don’t even stop to say hello to him anymore. “Nobody talks to me, they just go right into the puppy room, you know?”
For now, the best place to keep up with the whole family is Carl’s own Instagram, @carlthecowboycorgi.
Riley has a busy fall with “The Voice.” Back in Alabama, Carl has a full house of his own to look after.